


It's Easy To Give Into Your Heart

by dancingsweetheart129



Series: Rockstar AU [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Prostitution, Rockstar AU, Rutting, characters and couples added as we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2018-09-19 09:50:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 102,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9434486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancingsweetheart129/pseuds/dancingsweetheart129
Summary: Kon is an up and coming singer just moved to LA. Tim is a hooker working the lobby of his hotel. LA is nothing like Smallville and Kon is so not prepared for this.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I teased this on my tumblr months ago, got some negative feedback on the idea, then dropped it for a while, but it's been itching at the back of my head for a while and you know what? I still like it.

Conner stepped off of the bus and glanced down the street towards his hotel. It wasn’t the best, but it was what he could afford for the time being.

He was really here.

He was in Hollywood.

He adjusted the guitar case on his back and walked towards the hotel down the street.

Cassie was supposed to pick him up at the airport, and they were supposed to stay together in her apartment. But that was out the window now.

She was a rising actress, and since she landed her big movie role, she wasn’t interested in dating a small time singer like Kon. She had dumped him over the phone while he was on the plane.

He had met her three years prior through his dad’s friend, her aunt, Diana. They hit it off at a family party, and ended up dating long distance since she was in LA. He’d fly out to visit her in the summer, sometimes she’d come visit him. They were happy, at least he thought.

He felt a lump in his throat but he fought it down. Life goes on and he had to get his feet on the ground.

Kon stepped up to the hotel door. It didn’t look fancy, but he never had a quarrel about where he put his head at night. He was simple like that.

“Hello. How can I help you today?” The receptionist asked, looking over her glasses. “Checking in?”

“Yes, the name is Kent.” Kon nodded, setting his suitcase beside him on the floor. He felt relieved to get rid of the extra weight finally.

“Hm. Your room isn’t quite ready yet. If you want, you can wait in the café. There’s a door right by the front.” She pointed to a discrete glass door by the entrance that lead to a café in the lobby of the building. “It should only be another hour or so.”

“Thanks.” Kon sighed, hefting up the bag again. He turned back towards the entrance and shouldered open the door to the café.

It was small and quiet, only a few lone patrons scattered about. A woman sat at a table with a book and a highlighter, obviously studying. A man in a suit sat in a booth with a cup of coffee and a newspaper opened to the business section. And in a corner table was a beautiful, petite woman in a baby blue crop top and tiny black leather shorts, as well as high heeled boots that went up to her knee.

He sighed deeply again and walked up to the counter. He ordered a coffee and a chocolate chip cookie, though he was sure it wasn’t nearly as good as Ma’s. He took it to the table closest to the woman in the crop top and flopped into the chair, letting his guitar down onto the floor and the suitcase fall sideways.

He broke off a piece of the cookie and popped it in his mouth, then grimaced because this cookie was an insult to the word cookie.

“You look like you’ve had a shitty day.” Kon looked up and locked eyes with the woman. She was looking up from her iced coffee and cell phone at him. She had flawless alabaster skin, short black hair, and the bluest eyes he had ever seen.

“I’ve had better.” Kon glared down at his not-a-cookie then glanced back up at her. “You want to sit?”

The woman smiled and moved over, which was when Kon noticed a tattoo of a robin on her midriff.

“You wanna talk about it, stud?” She asked, crossing her long legs under the table.

“Well for starters my girlfriend dumped me while I was on my way out here, and I was supposed to live with her. So I had to make a reservation here from the airport and take a bus. And my room isn’t ready so I’m here.” Kon shrugged and leaned forward onto the table. “And I just realized that Cassie was supposed to be my date when I meet up with my manager tonight.” He groaned and let his head hit the table.

“That’s up there on sucky days.” She nodded, reaching forward to card her hands through his hair. “You a singer?” She eyed his guitar on the floor.

“Yeah, I’m Conner Kent. You probably haven’t heard of me, I’m not really huge-“

“I have heard of you. You’re that farm boy that sings that ‘Blondie’ song. I saw you play it acoustic on youtube. My best friend is big on the up and coming singers.” She explained. Kon looked up at her in shock. “She’s blond so she really likes it.”

“Really? Wow. Usually people haven’t heard of me.” Kon blinked, his eyes having gone dry.

“Close your mouth, doll, it’s not polite.” She reached out and tapped his chin, and he blushed.

“So, uh, what do you do?” Kon asked, taking a sip of his coffee to distract himself.

“I’m a hooker.”

Kon choked on his coffee.

“Not what you expected, huh?” She asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs.

“Not exactly no. I mean, you’re so pretty. I thought you were a model or something.” Kon said, clearing his windpipe. He blushed as he realized what he said. “I mean, uh-“

“Don’t worry. I don’t mind being called pretty.” She laughed. “It’s kind of important to my job.”

“Well you’re so nice, it’s just kind of hard to believe.” Kon mumbled, setting his coffee back down on the table.

“Honey, you’re cute and gullible. I’m trying to make a sale.” She laughed again and rolled her eyes. “But you’re too nice. I won’t take advantage of you like that.”

“Well thanks. I have plans tonight anyways. The whole dinner I mentioned.” Kon shrugged, resting his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know how I’m going to explain to my manager that Cassie isn’t there. He’s going to be pissed as all hell.”

“Why?”

“She was my foundation here. I was going to live with her for a few months until I could afford a place of my own, if I wanted. Without a place to live, he’s going to kill me. And he manages both of us, she’s way more successful, he’s going to drop me.” He groaned.

“Look, Baby, all you have to do is convince him that you have your feet on the ground. He doesn’t have to know you can’t afford a place. Fake it until you make it.” She shook her head. Kon looked up at her, blue eyes sparkling and lips beautifully colored.

“I know this isn’t really in your job description, but I’d give you a hundred bucks to be my date tonight.” He suggested. “Make up for your lost wages?”

“Honey, I could go out and bang ten of you tonight if I needed the money.” She said, glaring at him slightly. Kon noticed how long and beautiful her eyelashes were. “But that’s a nice chunk of change and a free dinner.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“Where and when?”

“Here let me write it down for you.” Kon dug in the front pocket of his suitcase for a piece of paper and a pen, then scribbled down the name of the restaurant and the time before handing it to her.

“Mr. Kent? Your room is ready.” The pair looked up at the door to the hotel and saw the bespecled receptionist.

“I’ll be right there.” Kon called before turning back to the woman. “You’ll come, right?”

“Of course, I’ll meet you there.” She said, getting to her feet and picking up Kon’s cookie, then turning towards the door.

It dawned on Kon that he never got her name.

* * *

 

His room wasn’t huge, just a queen bed, a few nightstands, a dresser, and a television. There was an empty ice bucket on the dresser too, but the ice machine was every other floor. The bathroom was small, though he looked forward to a hot shower.

Kon tossed his suitcase on the bed and began taking things out of it. This was going to be his home for a little while unless someone took him in, so he may as well get comfortable.

His clothes were clean, but they still smelled like the farm. He suddenly missed Krypto and thought maybe he could call home and talk to him. If Ma or Pa knew how to video chat, he’d do that.

He took out the shirt Cassie had left at the farm last time she visited that he had wanted to bring back to her. It didn’t smell like her anymore, it smelled like under his bed, where he had found it. Like dust and dog hair and old floor boards.

Kon tossed the shirt onto the bed before moving on to his other clothes.

* * *

 

“Hey, Cassie, it’s me, again. Look, I just want to talk to you. I’m still in LA, I’m not going anywhere. We can work this out, whatever it is.” Kon said into his phone. He had called her once or twice already, he couldn’t remember, his whole day was a blur.

“I-I want to work this out. I love you.” He said before hanging up. And he did, he still loved Cassie, even if she kind of tore his heart out. He just wanted to work on their relationship. He was out here, they were going to see each other eventually. It wasn’t like they could just avoid each other. And he didn’t want to.

He wanted her to give him a damn explanation.

The restaurant wasn’t far from the hotel, but walking in the heat in his suit didn’t sound like the best plan, so he called down to the front desk and asked the receptionist to call him a cab.

By the time he got to the restaurant, his stomach was in knots.

Kon didn’t know how he was going to tell Harvey that he and Cassie were not only done, but he had nowhere to live.

It was an expensive place, he knew. But Harvey had taken both of them there before, and their steak was amazing.

Kon stepped into the restaurant and locked eyes with Harvey and his wife at a table. He smiled and waved him over.

“Conner, my boy! Where’s the misses?” Harvey jumped up to shake his hand, and Kon smiled sheepishly.

“She’s, uh, Cassie dumped me.” Kon mumbled. Harvey’s eyes went wide and his wife gasped.

“Oh, Conner, honey, we’re so sorry.” She said, reaching out and grabbing his hand as he sat down. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure, actually, can we not talk about it?” Kon asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He eyed the door and noticed a man with short black hair and a suit that looked more expensive than the entire farm talking to the hostess.

“So where are you living?”

“Currently? A hotel. But don’t worry, I have a place lined up. I met someone today who needed a roommate.” Kon lied, glancing over his shoulder again at the door and saw the man making his way towards their table. “Should be meeting us here.” He mumbled.

Then it dawned on him.

That was the woman.

“Hi, I’m Tim Drake.” Tim introduced himself and shook Harvey’s hand before sitting down at the table.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you guys like this! Now to explain, Tim is kind of a dick in this because he's basically not willing to make friends and let people into his life. This will also be explained in later chapters. As will the whole Cassie thing.

“Excuse me, I have to take this call.” Harvey said, excusing himself from the table. His wife had just gone to the restroom, so they were alone at the table. As soon as his manager was out of earshot, Kon turned to Tim beside him.

“You’re a dude?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Tim shrugged, picking up his glass of wine.

“But you’re a hooker.” Kon whispered. “Hookers are women.”

“Are you new?” Tim asked, eyeing the man beside him suspiciously. “It’s LA. There are tons of male hookers. What made you think I was a girl?”

“Well, your clothes for one. I’ve never seen a man dressed like that before.” Kon pointed out, looking over his shoulder to make sure they still had some time.

“Where did you grow up? A hole?” Tim asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“No, Smallville.”

“That is the same thing, Doll.” Tim shook his head.

“Wait, then, why did you try to pick me up, if you’re a guy?” Kon asked, looking down at his plate. He wasn’t very hungry to begin with, and after Tim arrived, the confusion made that little bit of hunger disappear.

“You were sad and vulnerable, it was worth a shot.” Tim shrugged and took a sip of his wine. “Besides, out here, no one is straight. I’m not.” He scoffed.

“Well I sure am.” Kon said.

“Then I have a great girl, if you ever want her for a night.” Tim said with a smirk.

“So, Conner, how did you meet Tim?” Harvey’s wife, Abby, slid back into her seat while fluffing her curly hair.

“He had to wait to check into his hotel and he walked into the café I was in, and he seemed kind of down so we got to talking and I told him I had a room freeing up soon since my little brother is going away to school and he’s more than welcome to rent it.” Tim explained.

“Oh you have a brother?”

“Three, actually, but my other two are older than me.” Tim explained.

“Oh. Do you have a girlfriend?” Abby asked with a tilt of her head. She was always inquisitive, and Kon kind of hated it, but Tim seemed to be enjoying the attention.

“Not at the moment.” Tim shook his head. “I’m focusing on work mostly.”

“Oh, really? What do you do?” Abby asked as Harvey rejoined the table.

Kon held his breath.

“I’m the head of PR for Wayne Enterprises.” Tim explained. “Bruce Wayne, he’s my adoptive father.”

“Wayne Enterprises, very nice.” Harvey nodded.

Kon exhaled.

* * *

 

“It was nice meeting you, Tim. I hope to see more of you.” Harvey said as he shook hands with the young man. “Conner, I’ll see you at the studio tomorrow.”

“Of course, Harvey.” Kon nodded and waved as the couple left to hail a cab.

“Alright, here’s the money I promised.” Kon reached into his pocket to get his wallet and realized with shock that he didn’t have it. He pat down all of his pockets and it wasn’t there. “Oh, fuck.” He groaned.

“You’re not gonna stiff me, are you?” Tim asked, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “Not that I didn’t enjoy the dinner, but you did offer.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I must have left my wallet at the hotel. Shit. I’m not even going to be able to get a cab.” Kon sighed, defeated, and looked down the street. It was dark, and Ma made him promise not to go walking around the city when it was dark. “Come back to the hotel with me. I’ll repay you for the cab, I swear.”

“I don’t take cabs.” Tim shook his head and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Kon watched him dial a number and step away towards the street corner.

It only took a moment but Tim stepped back as soon as he was done.

“Limo will be here in a few minutes.” He said, pocketing his cell phone.

“Limo? I can’t afford a limo.” Kon screeched, checking the street again for a cab or maybe a rickshaw. Big cities had those, right?

 “Relax. It’s mine. Well mine and my brother’s. We share it.” Tim shrugged.

“What do you and your brothers do for a living?” Kon asked, eyes nearly popping out of his head. He knew now that Tim came from money, Wayne family and all, but then why was he hooking?

“Not that it’s any of your business, but my older brothers are performers. They moved out here when I was in high school, and I got sick of living in Gotham. So I took my GED test and moved in with them when I was 17.” Tim shrugged, turning towards the street.

“But, if you really work for Wayne Enterprises, why do you, uh, do what you do?” Kon asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“That is none of your business. Look, we’re not friends. This was job, so don’t think you’re entitled to know anything about my life.” Tim growled, waving as the cab turned onto the street. He yanked open the door before it could fully come to a stop and froze when he saw his eldest brother already in the back.

“Dick, what are you doing here?” Tim asked, blocking Kon’s view of the man inside the car.

“I was on my way back from the show. Thought we’d detour and pick up my little brother.” Dick explained.

“I’m not alone, Dick.” Tim growled.

“The more the merrier. Now sit your butt down.” Dick reached out and grabbed Tim by the hips and pulled him into the limo, getting him into a seat easily. Kon carefully followed, afraid to even touch the car.

“The hotel on fifth, please.” Tim called to the driver.

“So whose your friend, Timmers?” Dick asked.

“He’s not my friend, but this is Conner.” Tim crossed his arms defiantly.

Kon examined the oldest of them in the car. He was dressed in spandex, obviously a costume. It was mostly black with slashes of blue across the chest and down the arms. He had swirly, sparkly black make up around his eyes as well.

“Hi, I’m Dick. Sorry about my grumpy baby brother. I’m sure you’re really confused about this, I’m a circus performer.” Dick explained, seemingly in one breath.

“Oh. Cool.” Kon said, now understanding the costume.

“What do you do, Conner?”

“I’m a singer.”

“Hey look, it’s your hotel. We’ll be right back, Dick.” Tim nearly shoved Kon out onto the side walk, rushing to get out of the limo. He slammed the door shut and pulled Kon towards the hotel.

“Woah, hey, ease up.” Kon yanked his arm back taking the lead into the hotel and towards the elevator. “Geez, I’m not going to tell anyone your real name or anything.”

“You better not, because I swear-“

“I won’t.” Kon repeated as they stepped into the elevator. The ride up to his floor was silent, as was the walk to his room. “Would you like to come in?”

“I’d like to get my money and leave.” Tim snipped.

“Right. Hold on.” Kon unlocked his room and hurried in, grabbing his wallet off of the nightstand where he left it. He pulled out a few 20s and ran back. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Tim said as he counted the money, then pocketed it.

“So I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Not unless you’re paying me.” Tim said as he started back towards the elevator.

Kon watched him go for a moment, then let his door shut.

He needed to go to bed. It had been a weird day.

* * *

 

The next morning, Kon hadn’t even gotten dressed. He rolled out of bed, threw on an old t-shirt, brushed his teeth and headed down to the café.

He marched right up to the counter and ordered a couple of breakfast sandwiches and turned to the table he was at yesterday, only to be staring at a blond head.

“Cassie?” He asked to himself.

He rushed over to the table and touched her shoulder, but when she whipped around, it was a stranger’s blue eyes looking back at him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I thought you were someone else.” Kon stepped back and shook his head.

“Oh my gosh, you’re Conner Kent.” She said, twisting around in her chair to get a good look at him.

“Oh. Uh, yeah, hi.” He said, blushing.

“I’m Stephanie.” She waved happily. “I’m just meeting my friend here. Oh! Alvin! Look!”

Kon turned and saw Tim striding into the café, today in red heels, tight leather pants, and a red crop top, the top of the robin tattoo still poking out of his waistband.

“Alvin?” Kon asked.

“Ugh. You again.” Tim groaned as he approached the table.

“I thought your name was-“

“Shh.” Tim nearly jumped on him, covering his mouth with his hand. “When I’m dressed like this, I’m Alvin Drapper.” He hissed.

“Oh.”

“It’s a stage name. If my real name got out it could cause a lot of trouble.” Tim slid into his seat.

“Do you know him? Why didn’t you tell me?” Stephanie asked, excitedly looking between Tim and Kon.

“We met here yesterday, I went out on a business dinner with him.” Tim shrugged. “And now he’s leaving.”

“Don’t be rude.” Stephanie scolded. “Would you like to sit?”

“I uh,” Kon exchanged glances with Tim. “Sure.”

Kon flopped into the empty seat and looked at the plate in his hand. He passed it to Tim.

“Go ahead and take one. Make up for the trouble last night.” Kon shrugged. He was kind of a pain, having to go back to the hotel for his wallet and all.

“Thanks.” Tim mumbled and took one of the sandwich.

“So what are you doing in LA? I thought you lived in Kansas.” Stephanie asked, leaning closer. “I’m sorry, that’s creepy of me.”

“No, it’s fine.” Kon chuckled. “I moved out here to live with my girlfriend. Get a fresh start and really start pursuing my music.”

“Aww.”

“But she dumped me.”

“Aww.”

“No it’s really okay.” Kon reassured her. “She’s uh, she’s way out of my league anyways.”

“You’re cute. If anything, I’m sure you’re out of her league.” Stephanie reassured him. Tim scoffed.

“Oh yeah, a country bumpkin that’s been living in a bubble. That’s a high league.” He said, taking another bite of his food.

“Alvin! Don’t be so rude. He bought you food, now shove it in your face and shut up.” Stephanie said, glaring at her friend.

“No, that’s okay. I have to be heading out anyways. I wanted to go stop by Cassie’s and talk anyways. It was nice to meet you, Stephanie.” Kon reached out and shook her hand.

“Are you staying in the hotel long?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Let’s meet for breakfast tomorrow-“

“Steph-“

“Shh.” Stephanie shushed Tim and turned back to Kon. “I’d love to hear more about your music.”

“That’d be great.” Kon nodded and hopped up from the table. “I’ll see you around, Alvin.”

* * *

 

Kon knocked on the apartment door, waiting for an answer. He knew it was early, maybe she wasn’t awake yet, maybe she was just in the shower.

“Cassie?” He asked quietly. He just wanted an explanation. Just something.

“Cassie!” He shouted.

The door flew open and there she was, wearing an overly large t-shirt that fell down to her mid-thing and her hair was up in a curly ponytail.

“Conner? What the hell are you doing here?” She asked, looking up and down the hall.

“I just wanted to talk to you, Cassie. Work this out-“

“Conner, you have to go-“

“No, wait, can’t we just talk this out? Please?” Kon asked, hands clasped under his chin. Cassie took one look at him and sighed, then she stepped aside to let him into her apartment.

“Kon, listen, I have things to do today-“

Kon cut her off with a quick kiss, the way he used to, and how he’d been wanting to since he got on the plane the day before.

“Kon, please don’t make this harder than it already is.” She put a hand on his chest and pushed him back.

“I just want to know why, Cassie.” Kon whispered, putting his hand over hers. “What did I do? What did I say? I mean, I love you, Wonder Girl.” He said, taking her hand and bringing it up to his mouth to kiss, using the old nickname he gave her years prior.

“Please don’t say that.”

“That I love you?” Kon asked, nearly dropping her hand. “But I do, Babe. Whatever this thing is, we can work it out.”

“No, that’s just it Kon, this isn’t something we can work out.” Cassie pushed at his chest again and stormed past him into the living room. “This is better for both of us.”

“How is this better for both of us?”

“You’re not going to go anywhere with me on your arm. And I’m too busy right now to have time for a boyfriend-“

“Cassie, that’s not a problem for me-“

“Just get out, please?”

“Fine, I’ll go.” Kon crossed his arms and stared her down. “But only if you can look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me anymore.”

“Kon, I don’t love you anymore. I’m sorry.” Cassie mumbled, and Kon faltered. He took a deep breath and headed for the door, slamming it on his way out.

* * *

 

Kon didn’t make it very far, ended up parked on the curb outside of Cassie’s apartment building, arms crossed over his knees, crying.

He was glad to be in a city where he didn’t know anyone for once, because if he was back home everyone in town would know he was crying his eyes out because the girl he thought was the love of his life said she didn’t love him back.

All he wanted was to know what the hell he did.

He heard a pair of heels click up and stop beside him, and for a moment he thought it was Cassie coming out to tell him to leave.

“Sorry, I’ll leave-“

“Just get up, farm boy.”

Kon followed the legs that the red heals were attached to up and saw Tim standing there beside him, hands stuffed in his pockets.

He quickly dried his face and scrambled to his feet.

“I uh, I was just-“

“Save it, come on.” Tim took his hand and pulled him down the street towards the corner, nearly shoving him into another apartment building and up the stairs.

“Where are we going?”

“To get your dumbass off of the curb. Someone’s going to call the cops on you.” Tim said, angrily taking his keys out of the small clutch he was carrying and jamming on into the lock on the door labeled 24. “You looked like a homeless creep out there.”

When the door was opened, Kon was looking at the most beautiful apartment he had ever seen.

The whole main room was open, and the ceilings went up two stories high. The living area was in the front corner, the kitchen opposite it, tucked away in its own little pristine, white nook. There was a glass dining table parallel to the wall of windows opposite the front door. There was a small hall off to the side past the living room, and in front of it was a black, spiral staircase leading up to what looked like a roomy loft.

“Wow.” Kon said as he stepped in, trying to look at everything. The apartment probably cost more than the whole farm.

“Little bit better than your dingy hotel room.” Tim said, shutting the door behind them.

“You live here?” Kon asked, eyeing the guitars hanging on the part of the wall he could see up in the loft. “This place is amazing.”

“I share it with my brothers.” Tim shrugged and set his purse on the credenza by the door. “I’m going to get changed.”

Kon nodded and watched Tim head to the little hallway. He took the chance to look around better, saw all of the artwork on the wall, all of the photos. There was one in particular that he saw on the credenza beside where Tim set his purse.

It was Tim, in a nice sweater, hugging a younger looking boy who was in a cap and gown. Kon guessed it was his little brother, and both of them looked very happy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was a little short, but I want to show the beginnings of Tim and Kon's friendship. It also introduces a bit of backstory for Tim and Kon. And Yes, Cass is Cass, and I'm sorry if she's a bit OOC. I don't really know much about her. (The other girl is Harper)

“Sorry, leather pants aren’t the most comfortable.” Tim said, reemerging from the hall, now dressed in a pair of grey sweats and a dark red t-shirt. “What are you looking at?”

“Sorry, just saw this picture.” Kon set the frame he was holding back down. “Is that your little brother?”

“Yeah, he graduated a few months ago.” Tim said as he crossed to the kitchen and got a coffee pot brewing.

“I have a brother about his age.” Kon nodded, walking over to the kitchen and taking a seat at the island. “I don’t get to see him very often, he lives with my parents in Metropolis.”

“Did you not live with your parents?” Tim asked, getting out two mugs.

“My grandparents needed me. Around when I started high school, I told my parents I wanted to live with Ma and Pa. Pa is older and he can’t handle the farm like he used to, and after his heart attack, I didn’t want him out there alone.” Kon explained. “So I moved in with them and never left.”

“Sweet of you.” Tim nodded, pouring two cups of coffee. “How do you take it?”

“Black.” Kon said, reaching for the offered mug.

“So you really want to talk about your girlfriend, right?” Tim asked, heading for the fridge and pulling out the creamer. “The one I found you crying over?”

“How do you know I was crying over Cassie?”

“I’m not stupid.” Tim scoffed, finally taking a sip of his overly sweetened coffee. “I figured that was who you were going to see.”

“I’m not sure what even happened. She said she doesn’t love me anymore.” Kon mumbled, crossing his arms on the counter and resting his chin on them. “I just wish I knew what I said, or did, you know?”

“How long were the two of you together?”

“Three years. “ Kon said, glancing up at the man standing across from him. “Met her right out of high school when she was about to move here and follow her dreams. She was so cool. It was like one of those songs, you know? She was this beautiful, summer love that turned into so much more.”

“You sound like a lame country song.” Tim scoffed, taking another sip of his coffee.

“Hey, I like those lame country songs.” Kon sat up and furrowed his brow. “She was just it, you know? Thought I’d move out here, we’d get married, and live happily ever after.”

“Let me tell you something, nothing is ever happily ever after.” Tim set his mug down and shook his head. “Trust me. Things happen that make life just stop. But you move on and keep going.”

“You ever date anyone?”

“Sure. Stephanie, for one.” Tim shrugged.

“She’s a nice girl.” Kon nodded. “She reminds me of Cassie. I thought she was, this morning. Looks just like her from behind.”

“If you ever want a night with her, let me know. I know she’s willing.” Tim suggested, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

“Is Stephanie a hooker too?” Kon asked.

“Of course.” Tim shrugged. “We work together. There’s something for everyone. If someone wants a guy, they get me, if they want a girl, they get her. It works well for us.”

“Oh, I don’t think I could ever,” Kon shook his head. “Not with someone I barely know.”

“You’re sitting here drinking coffee with someone you barely know.” Tim pointed out.

“I’ll have a coffee with anyone, but doing that? I don’t think that’s something I’d be into, Tim, no matter how much she looks like Cassie. She was the only person who, uh, that I’ve ever-“

“Oh, you simple little county boy. You were a virgin before her.” Tim said, almost laughing. “Is that what everyone does out in the boonies? Only sleeps with one person?”

“Well, usually. A lot of people marry the first person they fell in love with-“

“Oh, how dull.” Tim shook his head. “Tell you what, let’s go out. See if we can get you to meet a new girl. There has to be someone in the city that you’d be into.”

“Like setting me up?”

“Like getting you laid.”

* * *

 

“I’m not comfortable with this.” Kon said, looking around the club. It wasn’t like the bar back home. At home there was wood floors, a simple bar, and tables with chairs. Everyone drank a beer there, played pool, had a nice time.

This was….

Very loud.

There were brightly colored lights flashing, speakers booming, and people everywhere.

“This is probably more people than the population of your home town, right?” Tim asked pointing around the room. “Let’s get a drink.”

Tim grasped Kon’s hand and dragged him through the club, while Kon apologized to everyone he accidentally bumped into.

“Stop saying you’re sorry. It’s a club, everyone knows you’re going to rub up against some strangers.” Tim said as they approached the bar, shouting over the music.

“There’s hardly any space in here.” Kon shouted back as Tim ordered for the both of them.

“It’s actually pretty empty compared to the night crowd.” Tim shrugged, taking his martini and Kon’s Manhattan. “Drink up.”

Kon took a sip and choked, coughing and sputtering the drink until he could breathe again.

“What the hell is this stuff?”

“That’s a Manhattan.”

“It tastes like evil.” Kon scowled. “Don’t they serve beer here?”

“You don’t go to a club to drink beer, it makes you look sad.” Tim explained, taking a sip of his own drink.

“I am sad.”

“But you don’t have to look it.” Tim said. Then he pointed to a girl with short black hair sitting at the bar alone. “Go talk to her.”

“Oh, no, I’m not really up for that.”

“How else are you going to move on? Just say hi.” Tim encouraged, giving Kon a gentle nudge.

Kon took a deep breath and made his way down to the girl, taking a seat beside her.

“Hello.” He said, staring down at his hands.

 “Hi.” She said, taking a sip of her drink.

“I’m Conner.”

“Cassandra.” She introduced herself, and Kon felt his heart skip a beat.

He couldn’t do this. He should just fly back home right now.

“You are uncomfortable.” She said, turning to look at him.

“How could you tell?” He scoffed, because she was absolutely right. He met Cassie over a table top at a wedding, they made eyes at each other all night, they danced together, and he swore she was the most beautiful girl there.

This was nothing like that.

“I can just tell.” Cassandra shrugged.

“It’s just, you have the same name as my ex and it caught me off guard.” Kon explained, twiddling with his thumbs.

“I see. Would you be more comfortable calling me Cass, perhaps?” She asked.

“A little, maybe.” Kon sighed, scratching the back of his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t usually do this, but my uh, friend told me to come talk to you.”

“Hm. You are looking to engage with me sexually?” She asked, turning in her seat. Kon choked on his drink.

“No, no, I don’t, I don’t do that, I promise.” He insisted. “I don’t really know what I was looking for, just trying to get back out there again, I guess.”

“Hm. I see.” Cass then leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I apologize, but I am committed to someone. I’m sure there is someone here who would like to engage in pleasant conversation with you.”

Cass hopped up from her seat and sauntered off, joining hands with a purple-haired girl and heading towards the dance floor.

“Well, I’m going to guess and say that didn’t go well.” Tim said, taking the seat she had abandoned.

“I’m not good at this.” Kon shook his head. “Maybe we should just go. This isn’t really my scene.”

“Well, who needs a girl to have fun?” Tim asked, reaching for Kon’s hand. “Let’s just dance.”

“Oh, I don’t really-“ Kon started to say, but he was being pulled from his seat by the shorter man anyways. He quickly downed the rest of his drink, slammed it on the bar, and followed.

* * *

 

Tim was so graceful on the floor, even when the songs were loud and pounding. They didn’t dance together necessarily, beside each other mostly, but Kon couldn’t help but grab Tim’s hand and spin him one or twice, then pull him back like he used to when he tried to learn how to swing dance.

He was actually a terrible dancer.

Tim was good, though.

“You’re really good at this!” Kon shouted over the music and he pulled Tim shimmied away from him and was pulled back, making sure they didn’t get lost in the crowd.

“Ha! When this is my income, I have to know how to use it.” Tim said, gesturing to his body. He had changed into a pair of tight blue jeans and a green button up, which fit his form snuggly.

Kon just smiled and turned, looking up at the DJ instead.

Maybe this was a little fun.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter isn't the most exciting, but we're working towards exciting stuff

“Thanks for today, Tim.” Kon said later that night when they were leaving the club. Both of them were a feeling a little light, having been keeping a steady buzz the whole night. “I needed it.”

“You’re welcome. To be honest, I needed it too.” Tim said. “It’s been a while since I’ve gone out.”

The streets were almost empty, being late at night, and they were just waiting for Tim’s limo to take them both home.

Or to take Tim home and Kon to his hotel.

He wanted to go home.

“I love this song.” Tim said, hearing the music still flowing from the club. It was a few years old, by a band called Boys Like Girls, but he loved it.

“Me too.” Kon laughed, unbuttoning his flannel.

“If you’re going to undress for me, let’s at least go somewhere more private.” Tim laughed, dancing in place.

“No, look.” Kon laughed again, showing the t-shirt he had on underneath.

Boys Like Girls.

Both of them laughed before picking up the lyrics that were playing.

“Now she’s got a boyfriend and I’ve got a rock band, guess nothing really ever goes the way it’s planned.” Tim sang, quite off key. He was not a singer, that was for sure.

“Now she’s in Ohio, and I’m on the some back road, driving to the city and then who knows?” Kon sang, his voice a little rough from the alcohol but otherwise beautiful to Tim’s ears.

“Cuz that’s all she wrote!” They both shouted. “I wish that I could turn this car around. But she’s got a boyfriend now.” They sang as the car pulled up. This time it was empty when they got in, laughing and tripping over each other.

“I thought you liked country music.” Tim said, reaching for his phone.

“I like a lot of kinds of music. I think that’s part of being a musician.” Kon shrugged. “I went to their concert in Metropolis when they came on tour.”

“I went to that concert too.” Tim said, looking up at Kon with glassy eyes and a pink blush. “I grew up in Gotham. My brother and I road-tripped around the bay.”

“Dick?”

“No, my other older brother. Jason.” Tim said. Kon was surprised how much about his personal life he was spilling. He must have been pretty tipsy. “He had just gotten his license and our dad didn’t want us to go. We got so grounded for it.”

“Well this is my hotel. Will I see you at breakfast tomorrow morning?” Kon asked as they pulled up to the curb. He put his hand on the door, ready to push it open.

“I’ll be there.” Tim nodded, and leaned over and gave Kon a kiss on the cheek before he climbed out.

Kon watched the car drive away with a hand on his cheek.

Tim must have been _really_ tipsy.

* * *

 

“I’m sorry about last night, I know you’re not interested in guys.” Tim said as Kon sat down the next morning. “I had a bit too much to drink.”

“It’s no big deal.” Kon shrugged, passing Tim a bagel. “Stephanie on her way?”

“Yeah, she worked last night so she’s stopping at the bank on her way over.” Tim said, checking his phone. “Made a pretty penny on the guy.”

“How often do you two, uh, work?” Kon asked, taking a bite of his doughnut.

“Usually only on weekends. But sometimes during the week we get one or two people looking for a good time.” Tim shrugged. He was wearing a pair of red shorts today and a black tank top, fishnet stockings covering his legs.

“And that’s enough to live on?”

“We’re expensive.” Tim shrugged. “But you’d be surprised how much rich people are willing to pay for sex.”

“Good morning, Conner. Good morning, Alvin.” Stephanie greeted as she took a seat at the table.

“Morning, Steph.” Tim said, passing her the other bagel. “How’d it go last night?”

“Broke out the whips and chains. The guy was all into being dominated.” Stephanie shrugged, reaching for one of the coffees on the table. Kon practically inhaled his and started coughing, prompting Stephanie to pat on his back.

“You okay?” She asked.

“You hurt his virgin ears.” Tim smirked, scrolling through his phone.

“Rude.” Kon choked out as he cleared his throat. “Are people really into that sort of thing?” He turned wide-eyed to Stephanie.

Sure, maybe he liked it a little rough sometimes, getting pushed down onto the bed and ridden, but whips and chains? He didn’t even know what he’d do with those.

“Oh yeah.” Stephanie laughed, and Tim laughed with her.

“Steph’s a very sexy Dom.” Tim said, winking at her across the table.

“What’ a dom?” Kon asked, blinking over at the man.

“Oh, honey, you’re so sweet and innocent.” Tim said, giving Kon a quick pat on the head. “How about today we go to the beach. Plenty of single women out there.”

“Oh, actually, I have to go into the studio today. I promised Harvey I’d work on some music, get a couple of new songs recorded.” Kon said. He had stayed up late working on a song, and he was hoping to get it working with music in the next few days. “Thanks for the offer though.”

“New songs?” Stephanie asked, leaning forward in her seat.

“Yeah. I’m trying to get an album together instead of just my EP.” Kon explained, gathering up his guitar. “But I’ll catch up with you two later.”

“Wait, Conner.” Steph surged up and grabbed his arm. She pulled out a marker and pushed his sleeve up, wrote her phone number on it, and yanked the sleeve back down. “Give me a call. We’ll go to dinner.”

“Steph!” Tim squealed, pulling her back into her seat.

Kon smiled and blushed, heading for the door.

* * *

 

“What were you thinking, music wise, for this one, kid?” Harvey asked, reading through the notes Kon had scribbled out.

“I was thinking maybe, uh, something like this?” Kon asked, strumming out a few notes before launching into something to go with the words.

“Hm. Sing it, I want to hear it.” Harvey said.

And Kon did. He started out with just the beginning, adjusting the notes he played as he thought it over.

_It’s the dawning of a new day_

_But my day’s as black as night_

_I can’t seem to find a way_

_To get you back into my life_

Harvey nodded as he listened, while Kon jotted down the notes on his paper.

“Roll with that, I’m liking it.” He said. “Now let’s get something recorded, I know you’ve got one song prepared. “

“Oh, Harvey, I don’t think I want to do Blondie.” Kon shook his head, finally looking up at his manager. “I don’t, uh, I wrote that song for Cassie, and I don’t think I should-“

“Kid, it’s a good song. Don’t think about Cassie, it can be for any blond out there.” Harvey ushered him into the booth, letting him get himself situated.

“Alright, I’m ready when you are.” Kon said, slipping the headphones on over his head.

“And go.” Harvey said, and the familiar music started playing into the booth.

Kon let himself give into memory, felt himself reliving his relationship with her. He wrote the song when he was just dabbling in song writing, when he used to sing karaoke at the local bar before he could even drink.

But she had lit up, swore she would introduce him to her manager and get his name out there.

_I swore you weren’t my type_

_I’m not your kind of guy_

_But now that you’re with me_

_I think I love you, blondie_

_You say you have more fun_

_More days out in the sun_

_LA’s not my cup of tea_

_But I’ll be there with you, Blondie._

Kon remembered the day Cassie had convinced him to change all the ‘Cassie’s to ‘Blondie’s. She said it would make it more universal for an audience, and she knew deep down that it was still her song. That she loved it and always would.

Kon stopped singing partway through the song, felt a lump in his throat, felt tears welling up in his eyes.

“What’s wrong, Kid?” Harvey’s voice floated through the speakers, effectively cutting off the music.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.” Kon said into his mic. He sniffed and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep a level head. “I just need a minute.”

“Come on, Kid. Buck up, it’s just a song.” Harvey said.

Kon took a deep breath, but it didn’t help.

He’d been so busy, so distracted over the last few days that he hadn’t gotten the chance to really mourn the end of his relationship.

“Harvey, I have to take a break.” Kon breathed, keeping his eyes shut tight. He heard his manager’s sigh over the speakers.

“Alright, five minutes, Kid.” He said, and Kon went tearing out of the booth, running down the hall to the bathroom.

Once he was safely inside, he leaned against the counter and felt his emotions take over. Tears flowed freely from his eyes and he let out a sob that he just couldn’t keep in.

He hadn’t cried like this in years, not since his first day of high school.

At 14, he had run home from school after being mocked for being the new kid, for being the city kid. Ma had sat him down on the swing on the back porch and let him cry his little teen eyes out.

Now he wished she was there to hold him again, just like she always had.

Kon pulled out his phone and dialed the first number he ever memorized, even before their own home phone.

_“Hello?”_

“Ma?” He asked with a sniff.

_“Conner, honey, It’s good to hear your voice.”_

“It’s good to hear yours too, Ma.” Kon said, choking out a half sob, half laugh. “I miss you, Ma.”

_“I miss you too, baby. Now what’s the matter?”_

“Ma,” Kon took a deep breath to steady his voice. “Cassie dumped me, Ma. Before I even got off the plane.”

_“Oh, honey, are you alright? Where are you living?”_

“I’m staying in a hotel right now, don’t worry.” Kon reassured her, hopping up to sit on the counter.

_“What happened, baby?”_

“She said she doesn’t love me anymore, Ma.” Kon sniffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “I don’t know what I did. And I just want to come home, I miss you, I miss Pa, I miss Krypto. I’m not cut out for this, Ma.”

_“Conner, listen. I know you’re upset right now. And I know you’re probably very home sick. But if you come back here, you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering if you would have made it. And I know you will.”_

“When I make it big, I’ll fly you guys out here.” Kon said with a genuine smile. She always knew how to make him feel better.

_“I’ll enjoy that very much.”_

“Ma, I’d love to keep talking but I have to get back to the studio.” Kon said. He heard the bathroom door open and saw Harvey standing there, tapping his watch. “I’ll call you soon, okay? I love you.”

_“I love you too, baby. I’m so proud of you.”_

“Thanks, Ma. Bye.” Kon hung up and smiled down at his phone, drying his last few tears. “Sorry, just needed to make a call home.”

“Come on, Kid, I need you to act like a grown-up. Enough with these little tantrums and calling home to mommy whenever things get tough.” Harvey scolded.

“Grandma, Harvey.” Kon corrected, like he always did.

“Whatever, now let’s go. We have to get that song all the way through.”

* * *

 

By the end of the night, Kon had washed himself of the day’s sorrows, both literally and figuratively.

He put Stephanie’s number in his phone and showered, washing his red and puffy face in the process, and was feeling like a new man after.

He flopped down into bed, still a little damp and completely nude. It was late, and LA was hot compared to the farm.

Kon turned on the television and flipped through the channels, stopping on some movie he had seen once or twice before, never all the way through.

He wanted something mind-numbing, something to give him the chance to think.

He _had_ to find somewhere to live.

Maybe Tim would let him sleep on the couch until he could find a more permanent place, or maybe Stephanie had a spare room.

Maybe he had to get a job to pay for a place.

Kon groaned and tossed his head back against the headboard. This was the most stressful row of days he’d ever had.

He knew he needed some kind of release, something to get his pent up emotions out.

Kon reached down and stroked himself a few times, trying to work his cock until he was hard. It’d been a while since he’d done anything to please himself. Long distance relationships weren’t great for a sex life, but he and Cassie had been known to have phone or video sex to compensate.

He thought of Cassie’s beautiful figure. She was the only girl he’d ever seen naked, the only girl who ever touched his naked body, the only girl he swore he knew inside and out.

Once he was fully hard, he started stroking faster, not looking to draw anything out.

Images of Cassie flashed through his mind: the first time she took her shirt off for him, the first time she gave him a blow job, even the time she wore lingerie for him on his twenty-first birthday. She was so beautiful and sexy, and he wished he could be buried in her one more time.

He felt himself on the edge and stroked faster, trying to push himself over.

Cassie’s beautiful face popped into his mind, and he felt his belly tighten. The image changed suddenly to someone he didn’t know, someone with short black hair in a tight black dress, but only the back. That was what he thought of as he came up on his belly.

He took a few deep breaths, coming down from his high.

It took him a minute to figure out who that person was.

Must have been that Cass girl he met at the club. Hm. Name must have slipped in there too.

* * *

 

The next morning, Kon had texted Stephanie and told them to come up to his room. There was only so much cheap café food he could eat, and he had cereal in his room.

By the time they got there, Kon was dressed and ready for the day. He didn’t have to go to the studio, since the day before he was able to get two songs taken care of, and he planned on working on a few new songs.

He played them the song he had been working on the day previously over breakfast, and was able to get more music jotted down with his notes.

“I really like it.” Steph said, tapping her bare knees. She was wearing some short black jean shorts and a purple tank top with a long sleeve fishnet shirt over it. Tim beside her was wearing a red jumper with the top few buttons undone.

“Thanks. It’s not a full song yet, but it’s getting there.” Kon said, finishing up writing down what he thought would be a good bridge.  “I’m hoping I’ll be able to play it at my gig next weekend.”

“Where are you playing?”

“Harvey booked me at the park on King Street. I’m playing Saturday night.” Kon explained, setting his guitar aside.

“When did you learn how to play guitar?” Stephanie asked, scooting closer.

“I started playing in high school.” Kon shrugged, picking it up again. “I was at a new school and I thought it might be a good way to make friends.”

The two sat back again and Kon started strumming something new, trying to piece together another song. He had ideas in mind, but he was always better with music than he was with words. He set his guitar aside again and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes.

“Something wrong?” Tim asked, scooting forward on the edge of the bed.

“I have to get the hell out of this hotel is what’s wrong.” Kon sighed, pulling one of his legs up and resting his foot on his chair, leaning his arms on his knee. “I have to find a real place to live.”

“Do you make enough for rent?”

“No. This is getting put on my credit card. The gigs I’m playing aren’t a big enough income for me to get an apartment and pay for studio time.” Kon sighed.

“There are plenty of cheap apartments in the city.” Stephanie pointed out, crossing her smooth legs.

“Would you happen to have any that would rent to me?” Kon asked, scratching the back of his neck.

“I’ll check with my landlord. I have a nice studio and it’s not super expensive.” Stephanie explained. “In the meantime, why don’t you see if you can work here to pay off your hotel expenses?”

“That’s actually a really good idea, Steph.” Kon said, sitting up straight. “I’m going to go talk to the manager right now.” He yanked his flannel on over his t-shirt and kissed Stephanie on the cheek before rushing out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I really wanted to dive into Tim and Kon's friendship, really flesh it out because really, these two could take to each other so easy. And sorry for those no religious folks, but I headcannon that Ma and Pa are very religious and the whole family was raised in such a way and I feel that it adds another layer to not only the story but to Kon himself.

By the next morning, Kon was working in the coffee shop in exchange for the room he was staying in.

It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, seeing as he’d never had a job before.

He only did farm work, and it was their own farm.

“So this is what they have you doing, huh?” Tim asked. Kon was pleasantly surprised that he wasn’t dressed for work that day, but in a nice button down and a pair of jeans. Stephanie beside him was in a pair of jeans as well and a purple t-shirt. Both of their faces were void of bold make-up.

“It’s not so bad.” Kon shrugged, pouring them each a cup of coffee. He put cream in Stephanie’s and a lot of sugar and cream in Tim’s. “What are you two up to today?”

“We’re kidnapping you after your shift is over.” Steph said, taking a sip of her coffee.

“For what?”

“To show you the city.” Tim chimed in with a smile.  “Get all that touristy shit out of the way.”

“That’s nice of you two, really, but it’s Sunday.” Kon shrugged, moving to make the next order in his queue.

“So?” Tim asked.

“Well we have to go to church after this.” Kon raised an eyebrow.

Growing up, Kon went to church every Sunday. He sang in the church choir, and he remembered sitting between Ma and Pa on the Sunday Jon was baptized. He always got dressed up on Sunday and went to church with the two of them once he had moved in, and it was something he wished he could still do with her.

His thoughts broke when he heard Tim giggling. He looked at him with furrowed brows.

“Oh, you’re serious.” Tim said, his face falling back to seriousness. “Do you have a church out here?”

“There’s one that I used to go to when I’d come visit Cassie, it’s not too far from her place.” Kon shrugged. “They have a service at noon.”

“Why don’t we show you around afterwards?” Stephanie suggested, shoving her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket.

“That’s by my place too. If you remember where it is, you can come over afterwards.” Tim added.

Kon smiled and nodded.

* * *

 

Kon bowed his head in prayer, listening to the sermon being given.

This wasn’t like his normal church back in Smallville.

That was a little white building with old wooden pews that had things scratched into them by bored children and mischievous teens, the preacher knew everyone by name and welcomed them all. If he wasn’t sitting with the choir, Kon was seated with Ma and Pa flanking him. And more importantly, Kon knew everyone. He might have not been the most popular person in school, but he knew his classmates from church, and his neighbors as well.

Here, he didn’t know a soul.

He was seated in the back row of the pristine looking pews, a lacquered wood that looked brand new save for the metal plaques at the ends of the rows, numbers worn from finger tips over the years.

He wasn’t side by side with anyone pressed against him, everyone was spread out in the back few rows, people who seemed a lot worse off than himself.

The preacher was not the portly older man that gave the sermon back home, this man was small, young, scrawny, and didn’t speak with the wise words of a life lived.

It wasn’t his same church, but it was his same God and that was what mattered to him.

He asked for forgiveness, for all of his sins. For giving himself to Cassie before marriage, though he had been so sure she would be the one he would marry. For leaving his grandparents for his own selfish reasons, even if they wanted him to.

But Ma always told him God loved him, and he would always forgive him if Kon asked.

Once heads were lifted and the congregation dismissed, Kon got to his feet and followed the crowd out into the sunshine.

* * *

 

After walking the blocks down to Tim’s apartment building, Kon climbed the stairs, feeling fresh and new again. The sermon wasn’t what he needed or what he particularly wanted to hear, but he felt like he was somehow getting back to his roots, his home, and that was enough.

After knocking on the apartment door, a younger man answered the door. Kon recognized him from the photo he saw the few days prior.

It was Tim’s younger brother.

“May I help you?” He raised an eyebrow and glared at Kon.

“Uh, are Tim and Stephanie here?” He stammered, quite taken aback by the coldness of this kid.

“Are you one of them?” The boy asked, crossing his arms.

“One of who?”

“Damian!” Suddenly a shout came from inside the apartment and the door was opened much further, allowing Kon to actually see inside. Tim was pulling his brother back from the door. They were almost the same height, and Kon assumed that Damian would be taller than Tim after his next growth spurt. “Don’t be so rude.”

“How is one supposed to know if this isn’t some disgusting stranger trying to find and murder the person he had intercourse with the night prior?” Damian asked, turning his glare to his older brother.

“One keeps his mouth shut and lets his big brother handle his own problems.” Tim explained, gently nudging Damian back towards the living room. The teen turned to give Kon one last snarl before heading to the small hallway on the side and promptly slamming, what Kon assumed was, his bedroom door.

“Sorry about Damian, he’s a little new to all of this.” Tim explained, tugging Kon in by the arm.

“To the city?”

“To friends.”

Kon simply followed Tim into the kitchen where Stephanie was leaning on the counter, perched over a trashy magazine and snacking on a small stack of cookies.

“Hey, Kon. How was church?” Stephanie asked, flipping a page in her magazine.

“It was nice.” Kon nodded. He and Tim turned when they heard a door opening and saw Damian crossing from his room into the kitchen, then rifling through the fridge for a moment before catching sight of Stephanie’s plate of cookies on the counter.

“I don’t think you need these, do you?” Damian asked, taking the plate in one hand and the cookie that was half eaten in the other. Stephanie gawked at him as he retreated back to his room.

“That little brat.” Stephanie said, glaring at the offending door.

“I think he’s a bit irritable today.” Tim sighed. “Hold on.”

Tim strode over to the small hall, knocked on the door that had been slammed, then opened it and leaned in the doorway.

“Sorry about him, he’s still a moody little pre-teen at heart.” Stephanie scoffed, taking her magazine over to the couch. Kon followed her, sitting uncomfortably in the chair.

He was sure that Jon and Damian were about the same age, but Jon had never been so…

Rude.

In fact, he was a little angel in their parent’s eyes.

If he listened, he could hear the conversation going on between the two.

_“Damian, please stop being such a spoiled brat.”_

_“I am no such thing. I just don’t see why you wish to spend every day with fat-girl and that new hillbilly.”_

_“If you miss spending time with me, why don’t you come out with us, huh?”_

_“-tt- if you insist you need me there that much.”_

And with that, Tim was reemerging from the bedroom with Damian on his heels. He paused for a second to wrap and arm around his brother’s shoulders and hug him tight to his side, which the younger groaned about.

“Let’s go see the city.” Tim announced, addressing the rest of the room.

* * *

 

“Do you think that’s Robert Downey Jr?” Stephanie asked from where they were standing on the walk of fame. There was a man across the street who looked vaguely like the star, but with a hat and sunglasses it was hard to tell. He was getting something from a food cart.

“If it is, can I lick him?” Tim asked, looking up from his phone screen. Damian scoffed from behind his camera.

“Please refrain from being such a harlot in my presence.” He said, checking the picture he had taken of a bird eating some crumbs from the café nearby.

“Selfie.” Stephanie said, hopping up behind Tim. The man looked up simply and smiled softly at her phone camera while she was beaming over his shoulder, and in the background was the possible celebrity eating a soft pretzel.

“This is so cool.” Kon said, kneeling down beside the star that read ‘Johnny Cash.’

“Want a picture for the cows back home?” Tim asked, pushing his sunglasses up on top of his head.

Kon glanced up at him, taking in how he looked.

He had dark sunglasses pushing his hair back on his head, a faded red t-shirt, a grey hoodie wrapped around his waist, and his jeans were rolled up into capris. He looked different from the morning, but still just as normal, and Kon couldn’t believe the two extremes in this one person.

“Yeah, thanks.” Kon nodded, putting on his winning smile for Tim to take a picture of. “Ma will love it.”

“Ma?” Stephanie asked, holding her phone up to take a photo of and elderly lady she thought might be Betty White.

“My grandmother. I lived with my grandparents in Kansas, and I miss them.” Kon said, looking at the photo Tim had sent him. “I should find Alabama’s star. Ma told me she snuck out of the house to see them when she was a teenager.”

“Wait, that is for sure Chris Hemsworth.” Stephanie said, pointing down the street. The three of them gathered in front of her phone while she took a photo of the assumed Chris. “Awesome.”

“Pathetic.” Damian rolled his eyes and snapped a photo of the skyline at the end of the street.

* * *

 

The group returned to Tim’s apartment after a late night, with the promise of having a car take them both back to where they needed to go.

“My other brothers might be home.” Tim said as they approached, hearing a blaring stereo.

“Perhaps Todd is back from his show.” Damian mumbled, covering his ears. “This is his monstrosity that he calls music.”

Tim rolled his eyes, but still unlocked the door and let the four of them in.

Kon froze when he saw the one brother he recognized as Dick, leaning over the railing going across the upstairs loft, singing loudly.

In the kitchen was someone else he recognized.

“Hey, Kiddos. Dinner is served.” The man said, moving some chicken from a pan onto a plate. “Dick, turn the music down!”

“On it, Jayce!” Dick shouted back and he disappeared into the loft. After a moment, the music stopped, and the older man came sliding down the spiral stairs railing. He was in a blue t-shirt and jeans, with an open grey hoodie falling off of his shoulders. “Hey guys.”

“Is that mine?” Tim asked, pointing to the hoodie.

“Probably.” Dick shrugged.

“Is no one else going to acknowledge that Jason Todd is in your kitchen?” Kon asked, still staring at Jason in the kitchen.

“Uh, he’s there all the time.” Tim raised an eyebrow at his friend. “That’s my brother Jason.”

“Your brother is Jason Todd?” Kon asked, turning finally to look at Tim, wide eyed.

“Yeah. You didn’t know?”

“You said you had a brother named Jason, there are millions of Jasons.” Kon scoffed. He turned back to the kitchen. “I’m a huge fan.”

“Well if you want to admire me, come over here and take a seat.” Jason said, pointing to one of the bar stools with a spatula. Kon rushed over and sat down obediently.

“I’m going to wash up for dinner.” Damian said, excusing himself to the bathroom. Tim and Dick parked themselves on the couch and Stephanie flopped down into the arm chair.

“So, tell me something about yourself.” Jason said as he distributed the last of the chicken onto the plates.

“My name is Conner, I’m a big fan-“

“He knows you’re a fan, Kon.” Tim appeared beside him, putting a hand on his arm and giving a little laugh.

“Hey, if he wants to fangirl over me let him.” Jason laughed as well, passing a plate to his brother.

“Is this all you have prepared for dinner?” Damian stepped back up and scowled at the chicken.

“There’s a bowl of salad in the fridge for you, your highness.” Jason scowled back at his youngest brother. “And save the attitude or tomorrow your pompous ass is eating burgers like the rest of us.”

“- _tt-_ “

“Such a brat.” Jason mumbled to himself as he went back to his work, cleaning up the kitchen. “And put that down, we’re eating at the table like civilized people.” Jason took the fork with a bite of food on it from Tim’s hand and set it back on his plate.

Tim scowled.

* * *

 

At one end of the table, Dick, Stephanie, and Tim were in an animated conversation about celebrities they swore they saw while Damian, Jason and Kon were quiet at the other end of the table.

“So you’re a fan of Redhood and the Outlaws?” Jason asked, taking a bite of his chicken.

“I really am.” Kon nodded, keeping his head down. “This dinner is really good, thank you.”

Kon hadn’t had a home cooked meal since he left home, and he didn’t realize how much he missed it.

“So, no offence, where did you come from?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow. “Tim doesn’t usually bring friends home, except Blondie.” He pointed at Stephanie across the table. The girl in question blew a kiss at him and he winked and made a clicking noise.

“Your flirting is whoreish and disgusting.” Damian scowled between the two of them through a bite of food.

“Hey, chew with your mouth closed.” Jason scolded.

“Don’t worry Damian, my heart is still yours.” Stephanie wrapped her arms around the younger, who actually _growled_ and Kon couldn’t believe LA.

“I’m from Kansas, actually, I just moved here.” Kon mumbled. He noticed everyone looking at him and he was immediately uncomfortable.

“Kon is a very modest singer.” Tim said, nudging the man with his elbow. “He’s really good.”

“Oh, I’m not-“

“No, you are.” Steph chimed in. “You should play us something. Jason has hundreds of guitars.”

“Not hundreds.” Jason rolled his eyes, but Kon noticed that they flicked up to the right side of the loft that must have belonged to Jason. “But we could jam. I could call up Kori and Roy, they’re always down to hang.”

“Seriously?” Kon felt his brain short circuit.

“Hell, if Roy is coming over it’ll be a party.” Dick said, getting up and clearing his plate. “I’ll break out the tequila.”

“Dick, you can’t give Roy alcohol.” Jason shook his head and followed his older brother, carrying his plate as well.

“May I be excused?” Damian asked, setting his fork in his now empty bowl.

“Of course.” Tim nodded. Damian’s chair scraped on the floor as he took his bowl to the kitchen to set it down, then turned to his room and slammed the door. “Sorry about him. He’s got a thing for Steph and he gets a little possessive.”

“He doesn’t like it when Jason and I flirt or when I’m into another guy.” Stephanie shrugged a shoulder.

“Are you and Jason dating?” Kon asked, blinking. He took one more bite of his chicken.

“Oh gosh, no. But if he ever wants a good time, he knows who to call.” Stephanie said loud enough for the two in the kitchen to hear.

“Can’t afford it, Beautiful.” Jason said as he passed by her, planting a kiss on her cheek and heading up the stairs.

* * *

 

“What should I wear?” Tim asked, rifling through his closet. He pushed at shirt after shirt, trying to find something cute.

“What’s wrong with the shirt you have on?” Kon asked from the vanity where he was seated, trying to fix his messy hair.

“I want to look cute.”

“You do look cute.” Kon said, still tugging at his hair. He paused for a second and blinked after he realized what he had said. “I mean, I guess.”

“I think what Mr. Foot-In-His-Mouth is trying to say is, you look fine, Tim. Roy isn’t gonna notice anyways.” Stephanie said, still flopped over a trashy magazine, sprawled out on Tim’s bed.

“He might, you never know.” Tim defended, pulling out a red and black tank top and a pair of khaki cargo shorts. “Besides, can’t I look good for Kori too?”

“You and I both know Kori is not the one you want.” Stephanie scoffed.

“Kori is,” Tim paused to grimace, “nice.”

“Kori is drop-dead gorgeous but you know where that’s been.” Stephanie said, looking up. “Do you really want Dick and Jason’s hand-me-downs?”

“Okay, fine, I want to look cute for Roy.” Tim shrugged. He had always harbored a crush for his brother’s best friend, since they were just rowdy highschoolers roughhousing in the back yard and stumbling their way through loud songs on guitar and base. “He’s got that rugged thing going.”

“He has a daughter.”

“I can be a mom. I can be a great mom. I’ll wear a dress every day if it means Roy will fuck me.” Tim said, sauntering over to the vanity. “Move.” He demanded.

“No.” Kon said, still trying to get his hair right. It looked less bedhead but still not….good.

“Fine.” Tim shrugged and plopped down on one of Kon’s legs, leaning over to grab his hair brush. Kon paused for a moment and blushed.

“You have a boney butt.” Kon said, and Tim wiggled in his lap. Kon flushed deeper.

“Here, let me.” Stephanie got up from the bed and stood behind Kon to card her fingers through his hair. She grabbed Tim’s hair gel from the desk, got a little on her fingers, and fixed his hair so it was just how he had wanted it.

“Thanks.” Kon mumbled, admiring himself in the mirror.

He had to admit, Steph knew what she was doing.

He also thought Tim looked pretty small and cute on his knee, but he pushed that thought down deep.

Maybe Dick would give him that Tequila.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay All, this chapter is kind of short, but it's building. I wanted to get a bit into family history, and show the bat boys because they're pretty fun. Sorry in advance for the cliffhanger. Oh, and the first song by Busted is 'Who's David'

Having never seen the loft before, Kon was shocked to see it was actually just one big room, no separation.

One side was messy, clothes strewn about. The bed was unmade and the pillows were practically falling off of the bed, as was the navy comforter. The dresser drawers were open, and socks and shirts were hanging out. On the wall were newspaper clippings tacked up, some old, some new. There was also a poster with three acrobats, with ‘The Flying Graysons” in bold print across the top. On the desk in the corner, which was piled with clothes as well, was a picture frame with a photo of the four boys and what must have been their father and grandfather.

The other side was neat. The bed was made neatly, comforter tucked in, pillows straight on the bed. All of the dresser drawers were closed and clothes in them, or in the mesh hamper that was between the short and tall dresser. In the back corner, instead of a desk, was a drum set and a few amps. On the wall hung all of Jason’s guitars, and above his bed there was a ‘Redhood and the Outlaws’ poster.

Kon didn’t think he could ever share such a space with his brother, but he had never been as close with Jon as Tim and his brothers seemed.

Tim, Stephanie, and Damian were on Jason’s bed, in a happy little pile of onlookers, though one not so happy and more obliging.

But Dick was sitting on Jason’s amp, tapping out a rhythm on it and smiling back at Kori, who was at the drums.

Jason and Roy were seated, Roy in Dick’s desk chair he had rolled over and Jason on one of the bar stools he had commandeered from the kitchen, both strumming out a rhythm and singing, having a ball it seemed.

Kon was sitting on Roy’s amp, keeping the beat on his jean-clad knees and bobbing his head along.

“So what kind of music do you play, Conner?” Jason asked as they wrapped up their little warm-up tune.

“I guess it would be considered pop, but I play all kinds of different music.” Kon shrugged. “I’m still working on a lot of my own stuff, right now.”

“Grab that guitar and play something.” Jason nodded to the acoustic sitting in the guitar stand by the drums, and Kon jumped at the chance. He had left his at the hotel, and after a quick tune, he started strumming something.

Cassie used to love when he played her stuff she knew, so he ended up learning a lot of songs out of his element, but she loved them just the same.

He started strumming out something by a band she liked, and started singing quietly, still a little shy in front of someone he idolized. He didn’t know what kind of music the band liked, though he hoped they were like him and enjoyed a little bit of everything.

_You’ve always been this way since high school_

_Flirtatious and quite loud_

_Find your sense of humor spiteful_

_It shouldn’t make you proud_

He heard Roy start playing along, nodding. He must have known Busted too. They were one of Cassie’s favorite bands.

Soon enough, Kori was playing the drums along with him, and Jason was jumping in as well, singing the harmony with Kon.

After a slower song, Kon picked up his confidence and started playing a louder, faster song, and everyone got on their feet. Jason and Roy were singing _That Thing You Do_ into their shared microphone, and Kon was over by Kori, singing with her into her mic.

Dick was drumming on the amp and the dresser, tossing his hair this way and that, while Damian was seated on the dresser beside him nodding his head begrudgingly.

Tim and Steph were up, dancing with each other, spinning around each other in a way that showed they were comfortable with each other and had a connection together.

Tim laughed, and Kon smiled.

* * *

 

Kon felt a renewed interest in his own music the next day. He had stayed up late, not only at Tim’s but at the hotel, writing some new music. Harvey was pleasantly surprised when Kon came in the next day full of energy and with full songs to record.

“This stuff is great, Kid.” Harvey said as they were packing up the studio. “Glad to see you’re over Cassie.”

“Well, I’m getting there.” Kon shrugged. He still wasn’t back to normal, but he wasn’t in bed in pajamas and crying, so progress.

“Keep this up, we’ll have that album finished in no time.” Harvey said. The two of them left the building into the bright, California sunshine.

As they rounded the corner to the parking lot, a limo pulled up beside the building and the window rolled down to reveal Tim in designer sunglasses and a really expensive looking button-down.

“I’m kidnapping you.” He said, pushing his glasses up on top of his head. Kon leaned down and looked in the limo, saw Damian and Jason towards the front and Stephanie at the other side.

“For what?”

“We’re going to see one of Dick’s shows, and you’re coming with us.” Tim explained. “Hello again, Harvey.”

“Nice to see you again, Tim.” Harvey offered a wave. “Glad to see you’re making friends.” He pat Kon on the shoulder and headed off towards his car.

Tim pushed open the limo door and scooted over to let Kon in. He slid onto the seat and set his guitar at their feet.

“So what kind of stuff are you working on?” Jason asked. Kon was starting to really like Tim’s family. They were much more open and welcoming than his own.

Kon and his father had never gotten along very well. He was self-proclaimed mama’s boy, even though he wasn’t that close with his mother either. He was much more comfortable with his grandparents.

Ma always said that the reason the two of them didn’t see eye to eye was because they were too alike for their own good.

But when he told his parents he wanted to be a singer, his father had asked if he was going to go to college and get a degree to fall back on, and Kon had hung up the phone.

There was a reason he didn’t go home to metropolis very often.

“I wrote up a bunch of stuff last night, actually.” Kon shrugged, opening his guitar case and grabbing all his notes to pass to Jason.

“I’m really impressed with your stuff, Kid. Stephanie was showing me your videos online the other day, and from what I’ve seen, you’ve got it.” Jason said as he looked over his notes, and Kon beamed. He wasn’t used to the amount of praise Jason seemed so willing to give.

Except from Ma and Pa, but family had to tell you that.

“Well, thanks, I, uh.” Kon tried to form actual sentences, but he was stopped when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Tim jolted beside him, since their thighs were pressed together, he had felt it. “Sorry.” Kon shook his head and dug his phone out, looking at the name on the screen.

Mom.

“Sorry, it’s my mom.” Kon furrowed his brow as he answered. “Hey mom.”

_“Hi, Honey. You haven’t called.”_

“Yeah, I’m sorry, Mom. I’ve just been really busy.” Kon explained, sinking into the seat. He always heard this. _You don’t call enough, why don’t you call more, I never hear from you._

“ _I spoke to Ma this morning. She said you and Cassie broke up. Are you okay, Conner?”_

“Yeah, I’m fine, Mom, really.”

“ _Honey why didn’t you call me?”_

“I just didn’t think about it, Mom, I’m sorry. I’m fine though, really.”

“ _If you’re sure.”_ She sounded skeptical. “ _How’s LA?”_

“Actually, Mom, I’m heading to a show with some friends, can I call you back tomorrow-“

_“Oh, Conner, your dad just got home. At least say hi to him.”_

“Wait, Mom, I don’t-“

_“Conner?”_

“Hey Dad.”

“ _Haven’t heard from you in a while, how’s the music going?”_

“It’s going fine, Dad, but hey, I’m actually kind of busy right now. I’ll call you guys tomorrow, okay?” Kon asked, glancing around the car at the other riders.

“ _Alright, Son. Talk to you tomorrow, then.”_

“Right. Bye Dad.” Kon hung up his phone and heaved a sigh of relief. “Sorry, just uh, just my parents.”

“It’s cool.” Tim shrugged, turning a bit. “That didn’t sound like a fun conversation.”

“Well, let’s just say there’s a reason I moved out when I was 13.” Kon shrugged and pocketed his phone again.

“I hear that.” Jason scoffed, leaning back against his seat. “Soon as I could move out, I did.”

“When did you move out here?” Kon asked, happy to change the subject from himself.

“Actually, when I was 18. Roy and I wanted to get a fresh start, and we decided to load up my car and drive across the country. And then someone found out and wouldn’t let us leave unless he got to go to.” Jason explained.

“Bruce was pissed.” Tim laughed. “I took my high school equivalency test when I was 17 because I wanted to get out of the house, and they offered me a spare room.”

“And the little brat here wanted to be with his older brothers as soon as he graduated because he missed the golden child.” Jason ruffled Damian’s hair, and the teen swatted at his hand.

“If anyone is the golden child, it is me.” Damian scoffed.

“You’re the reason Bruce has grey hair.” Tim rolled his eyes.

“I’m fairly certain that’s because of Todd.”

“Alright now, boys. We’re almost there.” Stephanie interrupted them and pointed out the window where they could see the performance hall in view.

Kon saw the big sign out front, and on it was Dick, in his spandex costume, hanging from aerial silks and a caption of the name of the circus-type show.

This was going to be an experience.

* * *

 

The show was spectacular.

Kon had never seen people move in that way. It wasn’t so much a circus as it was a cirque-du-soleil type show, though Dick did come out performing acrobatics on the back of an elephant.

He seemed to be the main acrobat in the show, performing not only on a trapeze, but on silks, a hanging ring, and with other performers.

It was quite incredible.

Kon didn’t know men could be so flexible.

“Great show, Dick.” Jason said as they marched into Dick’s dressing room. They all had backstage passes, which was a nice perk as they got to see the Elephant and where she was housed.

She was quite sweet.

“Thanks guys.” Dick said as he peeled his costume off, leaving him only in his boxer briefs. He didn’t seem very shy about his body, and Kon figured that’s where Tim got his ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it’ mentality.

“Do you have to be a slob at work AND at home?” Jason asked as he moved to hang up the discarded costume on its hanger with the others.

“You looked great up there, handsome.” Stephanie sat herself on the vanity counter, watching Dick try to take off his makeup. “That stuff on the ring is sexy.”

“They want us to try new some new stuff soon. Let’s get a refresher on pole-dancing.” Dick said to her, looking up with his smudged eyeliner on. “They’re thinking about bringing in a few poles, like the height of the building.”

“That sounds amazing, let’s take another class next week.” Stephanie agreed.

“You two should not be so willing to swing around on a pole like a couple of floozies.” Damian shoved Dick over a little so they could share the chair he was in.

“Don’t worry, Dames, you’re still my number one.” Stephanie winked at him.

Kon decided LA was much weirder than he thought. But he was starting to really like it.

* * *

 

For the following week, Kon had become a bit of a staple in Tim’s apartment. If he wasn’t at work or the studio, or asleep, he was at Tim’s. Jason made dinner every night, sometimes Roy was over, Kon even got to meet his daughter Lian, who was a little , bouncing ball of joy and energy. She even painted he and Tim’s nails.

By Saturday, Kon had found he was really enjoying his friends. It was a nice welcome that he never got in Kansas, or Metropolis for that matter.

He was ready to go on for his show, his stomach flopping a bit. He knew Tim, Stephanie, and Damian would be there, Jason and Dick each had their own shows that night though.

There was a decent crowd, and Kon was nervous, but at least he had friends there.

Except when he stepped on stage, he didn’t see them.

The lights weren’t so bright that he couldn’t see the first few rows, and Tim had told him where they’d be. The front row was lacking in his cute smile and Stephanie’s blond head.

But still he sang, tried his best to keep everything in check. He was sure there was a good reason for them not being there.

About halfway through the show, he got his reason.

“This next song I wrote when I was first seeing someone pretty special in my life-“ He started saying, introducing the song he wrote for Cassie, but his phone started ringing in his pocket. The audience laughed, and Kon forced out a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, thought I turned that off.”

He pulled his phone out to turn it off, but it said ‘Damian’ on his screen.

“Uh, sorry, I think this is important.” He mumbled into the microphone, and he stepped away to answer. He looked off stage and saw Harvey, wide-eyed.

_“Kent?”_

“Damian?”

_“I need your help.”_

“What’s wrong?”

_“Timothy and Stephanie were arrested.”_

“What? I’ll be right there.” Kon said, hanging up. He stepped back up to the mic and looked at the audience. “Uh, I’m so sorry guys, but my friend really needs me. I’m so sorry, I have to go.”

Kon looked at Harvey again and thought the vein in his forehead was going to explode.

* * *

 

Kon knocked on the door to Tim’s apartment, and Damian answered immediately.

“Let’s go.” He pushed past Kon and started down the hall.

“Whoa, wait a second. What happened?” Kon asked, following Damian towards the elevator.

“Drake called me from jail and asked for me to come bail him out as he doesn’t carry his wallet with him while he is, what he calls, working.” Damian explained, getting impatient waiting for the elevator and deciding on the stairs instead.

“Why didn’t you just take the car?”

“The car is currently waiting for Grayson’s show to end, then will be picking up Todd as well.” Damian explained on the way down to the parking garage.

“Then why not take a cab?” Kon asked.

“I do not take cabs.” Damian said, and Kon heard it echoed in his head in Tim’s voice. “However, we are allotted one space in the garage and we do keep a car here.”

“You guys have a car but you get driven around by a limo instead?”

“Driving is for the poor.” Damian said as they approached the space that housed a bright red convertible. “I do not possess a driver’s license.”

“You don’t know how to drive?”

“I know how to drive but see no use at the moment to get a driver’s license.” Damian explained, handing Kon the keys. “I will direct you.”

Kon blinked, but got into the driver’s side anyways.

* * *

 

As soon as they got to the jail, they were directed towards the holding cells where the new arrivals awaiting bail were held.

“Drake?” Damian called, looking through the few cells to find his brother. Suddenly, a hand popped out between the bars, grasping them tightly.

“Damian?” Tim called, and Damian made a beeline for him, hugging his older brother through the bars. As Kon approached, he kept hearing a litany of apologies coming from Tim.

“Conner?” Tim asked when he finally looked up. “I thought you had a show.”

“I did, but Damian called and told me and, well, here I am.” Kon explained.

“Great. All fine and dandy. Get us out of this hell hole.” Stephanie called from the neighboring cell.

“Yeah, here’s your wallet, Tim.” Kon passed it to him, and he noticed that he was in short black, leather shorts, knee-high boots, and a green tank top, tucked into his shorts.

“I can’t thank you enough for this, Kon.” Tim mumbled. “Excuse me, sir!” He called to the officer.

After paying pail for both himself and Stephanie, Tim took the keys to drive them home. Kon sat up front while Damian and Steph took the back seat.

“What the hell happened?” Kon asked finally, and Tim shook his head.

“I’ll explain everything when we get home.” Tim said, and headed for the freeway.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter! We're getting further along into stuff I'm really excited for and I hope you all enjoy it.

“Timmy!” Dick shouted as he burst through the door. He made a beeline for his younger brother, now dressed in a pair of grey sweats and an overly large blue t-shirt, and hugged him. “What happened? Damian called and left a message but my phone was in the dressing room. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Tim nodded, hanging onto one of Dick’s arms.

“We’ll get you a good lawyer, alright?” Jason added, moving to stand beside the two of them, huddled on the footstool. “Everything will be fine.”

“How did this happen? You guys are so careful.” Dick said, pulling back from the hug.

“I just,” Tim took a deep breath, “I got careless. We usually don’t stay in the same place for more than a few days in a row, and we’ve been going back to that hotel every day for the last 2 weeks.”

“Oh, Timmy.” Dick hugged him again. “Let’s get some food in you, okay? What do you want?”

“I’m not that hungry, Dick.”

“I know what you like, I’ll make you something.” Dick got up and rushed to the kitchen, and Jason followed closely behind.

“Not in my kitchen, you won’t.” He said.

“I’m sorry we missed your show, Conner.” Tim mumbled, wringing his hands together.

“I don’t care that you missed the show. I missed half of the show myself. Why did you keep coming back if you knew it was dangerous?” Kon asked, crossing his arms.

“I just, uh, I-“ Tim looked up at him, and there was genuine fear in his eyes, behind the sadness. But he never finished his thought as their apartment door opened.

Kon turned and saw a man there, in a fancy suit, with his hair slicked back, and a stern face.

“Bruce?” Dick asked from the kitchen.

“What are you doing here?” Jason asked.

“What Jason means is, that while nice to see you, this is unexpected.” Dick amended, but Bruce didn’t look at them.

“When I am contacted by reporters asking how I feel that my son has been arrested, I don’t usually call ahead of time.” Bruce said, shutting the door.

“Bruce-“ Tim spoke up.

“And for prostitution.” Bruce said, stalking forward to the living room. “What were you thinking?”

“Bruce, I-“

“You weren’t thinking.” Bruce finished, and Tim deflated, eyes downcast. “Why, Tim? If you needed the money, I would have given it to you-“

“I don’t want your money, Bruce.” Tim mumbled.

“What then? Just to do it?” Bruce asked, leaning down to get closer to Tim’s face.

“Bruce.” Dick rushed over, putting an arm around Tim again. He and Bruce locked eyes, and Bruce’s flared.

“You knew.” He stated, then he looked around at Jason in the kitchen and Damian, sitting on the stairs. “You all knew.”

“Bruce, please.” Dick said, huddling down with Tim, who was starting to sniffle.

“I knew letting you move out here wasn’t a good idea.” Bruce growled. “You’re coming back home with me.”

“Bruce, I’m 22 years old. You can’t treat me like I’m a fucking child.” Tim exploded. “I’m an adult, I can make my own decision.”

“Very well.” Bruce straightened up. “I suppose you’re right, you’re not a child anymore. I feel it best that you step back from your work at WE until this blows over.”

“You’re firing me?!”

“I’m suspending you.” Bruce corrected. “Damian.” He finally addressed his youngest son. “Let’s go.”

Damian stood up to follow his father, made it as far as the living room before he stopped and looked back at Tim and Dick.

“I wish to stay, Father.” Damian said, turning back.

“Damian,” Bruce said, and it sounded like a warning. “This environment is not good for you.”

“I do not want to live in Gotham, anymore.” Damian explained. “Grayson and Todd have made this a home for us, and I do not wish to leave it.”

Damian and Bruce stared at each other for a few moments, before Bruce looked back at Dick.

“Very well.” Bruce nodded. “I guess you’re an adult now as well.” He turned and headed for the door, without a goodbye, without another word.

The room was stunned, and Tim was the first to break the silence with a sob as he fell into Dick’s hold. Jason came running over from the kitchen, kneeling on his other side.

Kon took one look at them and rushed after Bruce.

* * *

 

“Excuse me, Mr. Wayne?” Kon said as he reached the sidewalk. Bruce was waiting for a car it seemed, looking down at his phone. He looked up when he was called, however. “You probably don’t know me, I’m-“

“Conner Kent. You’re a singer, just recently moved to LA.” He said, looking back down at his phone.

“Uh-“

“I try to keep tabs on my children.” Bruce said, then smirked for a moment. “And Dick calls home once a week or so to keep me updated. Apparently not on everything.”

“Listen, I know you’re mad and everything, and I’m just a stranger to you, really, but,” Kon took a deep breath, extremely uncomfortable, as Bruce was incredibly intimidating. “Tim’s really upset.”

“He only has himself to blame.”

“But he feels like he let you down.” Koon explained. “I know the look on his face. He just wanted to do something for himself. He once told me he didn’t want to need your money. I feel like he doesn’t think he can do anything else.”

“I have never tried to withhold our funds from him, or any of them-“

“I know. But he doesn’t want to live off of you. I know you’re mad now, but this isn’t the end of the world. He’s still your son.” Kon said, and a car pulled up to the curb.

“You’re very bright.” Bruce nodded. “I hope you are a good influence on my son.” He said as he got into his car, leaving Kon standing on the sidewalk by himself.

* * *

 

Kon avoided his phone until Monday, when he had to go back to the studio. Harvey looked less angry, but still not pleased.

“What the hell, Kid? I’ve been trying to call you.” He growled.

“I’m sorry, Tim needed help-“

“Oh I saw. It was all over the news that the Wayne boy was arrested for prostitution.” Harvey interrupted. “You can’t be seen with him. That’s horrible publicity for you.”

“But, he’s my friend. I don’t care about his life choices.” Kon explained, furrowing his brows.

“I understand that you’re trying to make friends here, but look, if you’re hanging around with hookers, that reflects badly on you.” Harvey explained. “I’m just trying to keep your image clean.”

“Then worry about what _I_ do. That’s what my image is. You can’t tell me who I can and can’t be friends with.” Kon said, crossing his arms. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Harvey sighed.

“Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said. “Let’s just get some stuff recorded. You’ve got some work to make up.”

* * *

 

There were some mornings now that Tim and Stephanie weren’t at the hotel, and Kon always feared what that would mean. But a quick text usually soothed his fears.

On the mornings they were there, they were in street clothes, waiting for him to get out of work, and then they would go tear up the town.

It was different that anything Kon had experienced. He had never had very close friends anywhere he went, and having the two of them actually want to hang out with him was a pleasant surprise.

Even if they didn’t go out, Kon would go to Tim’s apartment or they would go up to his room, which he was actually starting to really enjoy.

Sure, he’d like a full apartment with an actual kitchen, not just a coffee pot and a microwave, but he used an iron to make a grilled cheese the other day so he was figuring it out.

Today it was just Tim hanging out since Stephanie had her court date set for that morning. Tim was sprawled on Kon’s bed, listening to music.

Kon wasn’t working on his own music, he felt like he needed a small break, so he just had his phone plugged into his speaker and playing his favorite songs.

Tim didn’t seem to want to talk much.

“Do you think Stephanie is going to get put in jail?” Tim asked suddenly, reaching for one of the beers he had brought. Kon remembered that must have meant he was feeling sad.

“No, I’m sure she’ll just get fined or something.” Kon said from the desk he was at. “You worried?”

“Yeah,” Tim tipped his head back to meet Kon’s eye. “I’m more scared for myself.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Kon reached for his own beer. “It’s a first offense and you just have to promise to stop.” He shrugged, and Tim tore his eyes away again, staring back up at the ceiling.

“I don’t want to stop.” Tim mumbled.

“What?” Kon asked, almost choking on his beer. “Why?”

Tim was silent for a moment, took another swig of his drink, and closed his eyes.

“When I moved out here, it was because I-I wanted to be like Dick and Jason.” Tim started. “I didn’t want to be the stuffy one, the one that was just going to take over WE, be the good son. I wanted to do something of my own. I’ve been working with Bruce since I was ten, I used to go there after school, even before my parents-“

Tim stopped again, taking a deep breath. Kon knew that the three oldest were adopted, though he hadn’t heard stories of what ages or what happened to their birth parents.

“My mom is probably so disappointed in me.” He shook his head. “I’m not good at anything, I’m not talented. When I met Steph, we hit it off, and we got roped into this by someone she was involved with. And I realized I really liked it. I felt like I was doing something on my own, something I was good at. People wanted me, and that was such a good feeling.”

“Tim-“

“When Dick found out, he yelled. For hours, actually, I was only 19. Jason threatened to beat me until I came to my senses. But I told them it was what I wanted to do and they could either accept it or get out of my life. They both wanted to be there to protect me.” Tim rolled onto his side, curling in on himself.

“Tim, you’re talented.” Kon said, but the shorter man was sitting up faster than Kon could blink.

“At what?” He countered, and Kon froze. “At being obedient? At business? At doing exactly what my Daddy wants me to do? Please, save your breath. I’m doing what I’m really good at.”

“Hey, you’re good at other stuff.” Kon moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “You’re smart, and nice. You’re good at dancing, and at taking pictures. You could do something artistic too, you just have to figure out what it is you want to do.”

“What like be a singer, like you?”

“No, you can do your own thing.” Kon said, and he felt the urge to brush the few stray hairs in Tim’s face back, but restrained himself.

“You don’t get it, Conner, this is my thing. I’m not talented like you or Dick or Jason or hell, even Damian is trying out for that big, stupid orchestra. I’m just, I’m the average one. I don’t do anything.” Tim sniffed, pushing at the few brimming tears in his eyes with his thumb. “Sorry, I’m kind of drunk and I’m all cry-ey.”

“Hey, it’s fine. You deserve to be, sometimes.” Kon settled for putting a hand on his back and rubbing gently with his thumb.

“Even when I was a kid, I was just kind of expected to grow up and go into business with my dad. And when WE bought us out, I spent afternoons at the office with Bruce and Dad. I hated it. I hate business. But I’m good at it, and that’s always pissed me off.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being good at it.” Kon said, letting Tim fall away from his hand and flop face-first into the pillows. “That’s important too.”

“When the media looks at me, they see the normal one. Everyone else is extraordinary, the papers back home rave about them. My headlines say ‘WE closes another business deal’.” Tim mumbled into the pillow. Kon sprawled out beside him, trying to rub his back again. Tim turned and looked at him with his red-rimmed eyes. “You don’t know what it’s like to not be as cool and exciting as your brothers.”

“Ha! Are you kidding? My little brother is the best thing since sliced bread if you ask anyone in Metropolis.” Kon said.

“How? You’re the one trying to make a name for yourself.”

“Because Jonno plays sports, Dad’s always behind him 100%. I didn’t have his support. I was a punk in middle school, and in high school I wasn’t accepted because they all knew each other since they were in the womb and I was new. Nothing about my life was exciting.” Kon explained, and Tim smiled for a moment.

“I think you’re pretty exciting.” He mumbled.

Kon and Tim locked eyes again, and Kon couldn’t help but think that this man had the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen, even moreso than Cassie, and he wanted to drown in them.

His train of thought was interrupted however when Tim’s phone vibrated on the bed between them. The shorter man looked down at it and smiled.

“Steph’s out! Let’s go.” He hopped up and started shoving his feet into his shoes while Kon tried to clear his head.

* * *

 

“So what are you going to do now?” Tim asked, handing Stephanie a cup of coffee. They were now in Tim’s bedroom, the blond at the vanity and Kon on the bed.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll go back to stripping.” She shrugged, and took a sip. She was lucky to only get fined and not have to spend any time in jail, but Tim wasn’t sure he’d be so lucky. “Or maybe I’ll look for a different job.”

“You used to strip?” Kon asked, sitting up straight. He wasn’t sure if that was a normal thing for someone in LA to do or not.

“Yeah, that’s what I started doing to make money after high school. I couldn’t find anything else to do and it was good money.” She explained, setting her coffee mug down on the vanity.

“Maybe I’ll look into something like that.” Tim said, flopping onto his bed, resting his head on Kon’s back. “I have to make money, somehow.”

“Don’t you have money stashed away?” Kon asked, trying to look back at the man. “Like from WE?”

“Of course I do. I plan on willing that savings to my children one day. I don’t want to use that money.” Tim turned his head and locked eyes with Kon. “I never want to have my fortune handed to me.”

Kon opened his mouth to respond, but there was a knock on the door. Dick popped his head in, hair going every-which-way.

“Hey guys, I made dinner.” He said, eyes bouncing between the three. “Damian won’t come out of his room and Jason refuses to eat anything I make so it’ll just be us.”

“Is it cereal?” Tim asked, glaring at his brother.

“No, it’s pasta.” Dick rolled his eyes. “I at least know the basics.”

The three followed the oldest out into the main living space, and that’s when Kon heard the sounds of a violin coming from Damian’s room.

“He listens to his music pretty loud, huh?” He asked as they passed the door.

“No, that’s him. He’s practicing for his audition with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.” Tim said with a shrug.

Kon couldn’t believe the talent in the family.

* * *

 

After dinner, Stephanie went home to unwind. She’d had a long and stressful day and she needed to figure some things out.

That left Kon and Tim in the living room watching a movie, something not too interesting, but Tim seemed to be enjoying it.

“Dick! Keep your stuff on your half of the room!” Jason shouted from the loft, and it sounded like he threw an article of clothing.

“This isn’t even mine! I gave it to Tim!” Dick shouted back, and suddenly a shirt was being thrown from the loft and it cover Kon’s head. Tim paused the movie with a giggle.

“Tim, keep your filth contained to your bedroom, please.” Jason said, leaning over the railing for the loft. “Oh, sorry, Conner.”

“It’s fine.” Kon shook his head and Tim took his shirt back. “Dude you need to wash that, it smells weird.”

“I’ll put it in the laundry.” Tim got up for a moment, heading for his room. Kon looked at his backside for a moment and realized something.

That girl he had thought about, that wasn’t Cass.

It was Tim.

And he’d thought about that view multiple times since then.

“Sorry, they fight like that sometimes.” Tim said when he came back to a slightly freaking out Kon. “Living in close quarters and whatnot.”

“Why doesn’t one of them move out?” Kon asked. He wasn’t sure he could live with Jon for such a long period of time.

“Well it wasn’t so much of a problem before. Damian only moved out here a few months ago, before, Dick lived in that room.” Tim shrugged, settling back into the couch, closer to Kon than before. “And besides, that loft is huge. They could divide the room if they really wanted to.”

“Don’t you ever get tired of living with your brothers?” Kon asked. He and Jon had shared a room for a brief amount of time, and it was the worst. He didn’t get privacy and he had to go to bed at Jon’s bed time.

“You’d think so, but no.” Tim shook his head. “Maybe Damian gets a little irritating sometimes, but I love living with Dick and Jason. Always have.”

“You guys are a close family, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Tim said with a nod.

* * *

 

Kon worked the following morning, but his focus was on the dream he’d had the night before of making out with Tim. He felt so weird that he almost went to work in his pajamas.

“Hey stranger.” He looked up and saw Stephanie standing there with a smile, dressed in some yoga pants, a hoodie, and a tank top.

“Hey, Steph.” Kon said, starting her coffee. “No Tim today?”

“Nah, he’s still sleeping. I just wanted to go for a run. Clear my head and all.” She shrugged.

“Steph, can I ask you a question?” He hesitated, reaching for the cream. “I uh, have you ever had a dirty dream about someone?”

“Sure, all the time.” She shrugged. “Why? Did you have a dirty dream?” She asked, suddenly very intrigued. She leaned in closer. “Give me the details. Was she hot?”

“Um, it, uh, it was a guy.” Kon mumbled. “And we just were making out.”

“Really?” Stephanie asked, eyebrows raised. “Anyone I know?”

“No, you don’t know him.” Kon shook his head. “And I really don’t, I mean, I’m straight. He just has really nice eyes, and he looks really pretty, for a guy.” He mumbled, still trying to work through it in his own head.

“Well if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had a crush on this guy.” Stephanie said, taking a sip of her coffee. “But usually those kinds of dreams mean nothing.”

“Thanks Steph.”

“No problem. I’ll see you later.” Stephanie said, taking her coffee and heading for the door.

Kon had no more answers than he did before, but at least he felt a little better.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot of fun to write, sorry it took so long. Kon is now exploring his feelings a bit, but he's still all simple and cute about it. Enjoy!

Everyone was there for Tim’s court case, he wanted them there for support. His was scheduled for a Friday, and while he was nervous, Kon was sure he would be just fine.

“You were arrested last Saturday for prostitution, correct?” The judge asked, looking over his papers.

“Yes, Sir.” Tim said, eyes downcast.

“Well, I just have one question, Son. Why?” The judge took his glasses off and set them on his dais. “Your family comes from money, I know that. Did your father cut you off?”

“No, Sir.” Tim shook his head.

“What then? Did someone force you into it?”

“No, Sir.” Tim finally looked up. “I just wanted to be independent for once. To not have to live off of someone else.”

“I see.” The judge mumbled with a nod. “And this was your only option?”

“No, Sir, it wasn’t. I admit, it wasn’t smart of me to do this. And I wish I hadn’t, I wish I had found something else, something stable, something-“

“Legal?” The judge asked with a raised brow.

“Yes, Sir. Legal.”

“Well, you won’t have the opportunity to do that if I throw you in jail. I’m charging you a fine of five hundred dollars and placing you on probation for 60 days.” The judge slammed his gavel down. “Should I see you back here, I won’t be as nice.”

“Understood, Sir, Thank you.” Tim nodded vigorously and rose from his chair, heading for the door. Dick greeted him first with a hug, then Jason with a hair ruffle.

“See? I told you that you’d be fine.” Kon said when he finally got Tim under his arm for a quick hug.

“Kon, are you still going to church Sunday?” Tim asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“Can I go with you?”

“Uh, of course.”

* * *

 

That Sunday, Kon and Tim sat in the pews together, much better than the previous few weekends where Kon sat alone. Tim didn’t know much about being in church, but he seemed content to sit quietly beside his friend.

The preacher was starting to grow on Kon, and he was finding ways to pick out things that would help him even if they weren’t how the man meant them. This week he was preaching about following your heart because that is what god intended.

And Kon didn’t know what his heart was saying, but he knew this boy was very special to him in a lot of ways.

That both terrified and excited him.

After the sermon was over and the congregation dismissed, both young men stood and stretched. Tim seemed unaccustomed to sitting still for so long and was trying to stretch his back.

“What did you think?” Kon asked, straightening his shirt. It wasn’t as fancy as the one Tim was wearing, but his Sunday best was the best that they could afford.

“I’ve never been very big into religion.” Tim shrugged, following Kon as he lead the way out of the pew. “My parents never took me to church as a kid. But it’s important to you, right?”

“Yeah, it is. I never miss church on a Sunday.” Kon shook his head. “Ma’d have my head if she found out I missed. It’s important to her too. Says God is the only person who loves me more than her.”

“I just thought it might be good for me to think for a while.” Tim nodded as they walked out into the sunshine. “And it taught me something about you.”

“If you ever want to learn anything about me, you can just ask.” Kon shrugged. “I’m a pretty open book.”

“I know. But it’s different to see it.” Tim smiled and looked up, keeping his eyes on the crowd in front of them.

“I guess.” Kon said, following his gaze.

A few head in front of them, walking their way, was Cassie.

“Cassie?” Kon asked, reaching an arm out to stop her. She didn’t take notice of him at first, whipped around to yell at whoever had grabbed her arm, but stopped when she saw that familiar face.

“Kon?” She asked, stopping finally. Kon pulled her towards the buildings where they weren’t blocking the sidewalks. “What, uh, what are you doing here?”

“I was just coming from church, actually.” Kon said, pointing down the street where they had come from. “How are you?”

“I’m, uh, I’m good.” She nodded, looking towards where she had been walking. “Listen, Kon, I really have to go, Okay?”

“Oh, I, uh, Okay.” Kon said, letting go of her arm. “Let’s grab lunch, okay? Catch up?”

“I can’t Conner, I’m sorry.” She shook her head and started down the sidewalk.

“Cassie-“

“I’m so sorry.” She said, then took off on a half run down the sidewalk, not even looking back, leaving Kon standing there feeling defeated and his tender heart still in pain.

“Kon?” Tim asked, putting a hand on his arm.

“I’m fine.” Kon shook his head. “I just, she won’t even talk to me.”

“Let’s go get some lunch, okay? On me?” Tim asked.

Kon put his hand over Tim’s and nodded.

* * *

 

“I just don’t get it, you know? 3 years, and we were friends for even longer. And she won’t even talk to me.” Kon said, taking a sip of his soda.

“Maybe she has something going on in her life.” Tim shrugged, stabbing his salad with his fork. “You never know.”

“Something so big that she couldn’t talk to me about? We used to talk about everything.” Kon sighed. “I was so sure I was going to marry her, Tim. If I had known, I never would have moved out here. Or given everything I did to her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I wanted to wait until marriage to, uh, to have sex. But I was so sure Cassie was it that after so long, I just figured if we’re going to get married, we’re going to do it eventually anyways.” Kon said. “That’s something I can never get back, that I can never give to anyone else.”

“Well, you know, if you never moved out here, I’d have never met you. So I’m glad she broke up with you, in a way.” Tim said with a small smile. “Besides, just because you lost your virginity to someone you don’t marry doesn’t mean that sex is any less special.”

“Huh?”

“Well, I’ve had sex with a lot of people. I lost my virginity years ago. But when I’m with someone I like and really care about, it’s like the first time all over again.” Tim explained. “Virginity is just a frame of mind.”

“I guess.” Kon shrugged. “I just always figured I’d be her only, you know? And she’d be mine.”

“Let me let you in on a little secret.” Tim said leaning in closer. “Sometimes, it’s even better, and more special, with the next person.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Because you’re not new at it, you both know the basics, but you get to learn each other. You’re always discovering something new. That’s pretty special to me.” Tim sat back and took a bite of his food.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Kon nodded and reached for his soda.

* * *

 

Kon continued to have dreams about Tim, and they were all different.

Some nights Kon dreamt of wet tongues and hot bodies grinding together on his couch back at home, other times he dreamt of holding hands and walking along the beach.

Some mornings he woke up and all he could remember was Tim’s beautiful smile. The way he tilted his head, the way his eyes crinkled, the way he’d give a little, nervous laugh.

And he found that he wanted to see it every day. Even if they just lounged around, Kon wanted to see Tim smile. And it both excited him and terrified him.

“You’ll love this.” Tim said, shouldering his bag and leading Kon into the dance studio. “Steph and Dick are here already.”

“I don’t know about this.” Kon said wearily as he followed the shorter man. “I’m not exactly coordinated.”

“This isn’t really about coordination. At least not the beginner course. This is about control and core strength.” Tim explained as they filed into a room with about twelve poles placed around it. There were mostly women there, friends helping to stretch each other out while chattering away. They caught sight of Dick and Stephanie towards the back.

Stephanie was stretching in the splits, which was incredibly impressive to Kon as he wasn’t sure he could even touch his toes. Dick was doing a handstand, back against the pole, legs wrapped around it. The two were talking, and Dick nodded before pulling himself up into a vertical sit up.

“Hey, guys.” Tim said, setting his gym bag down in the back of the room.

“Hey, Timmers.” Dick greeted, putting his hands down and kicking his feet out until he was standing upright again.

“Ready? I love this class. Barbara is my favorite instructor.” Stephanie said, pulling her feet into a butterfly position, which Tim mirrored.

“She’s adorable too.” Dick said. The red-head looked their way, and Dick winked at her. She smiled and shook her head before strutting over to her own pole to stretch.

Kon sat down as well, trying to mimic the position that Tim and Stephanie were in, but he couldn’t exactly bend that far.

“Kon, that’s pathetic.” Stephanie said. “We have to work on your flexibility.” She hopped up and stretched his legs out straight. “Touch your toes, nose to knees.”

“I don’t think I could touch my nose to my knees if I wanted to.” Kon mumbled, trying to reach his feet. He could reach his ankle but his body wouldn’t go further.

“Here, we’ve gotta stretch out other muscles first to increase flexibility.” Tim said, scooting over. He put the bottoms of his feet to the soles of Kon’s and slowly started to inch his legs apart.

They didn’t go far before Kon was hissing at the slight pain of the stretch.

“Really?” Tim asked, watching his friend’s face twist in discomfort.

“I am not flexible.” Kon shook his head. His feet were only about 2 feet apart.

“Well, here, try this.” Tim reached out for his hands and tugged him in, letting him bend over as far as he could, which wasn’t much.

“This is painful.” Kon grumbled as he tried to spread his legs further, tried to bend as far as possible.

“You’ve just got to work on it.” Tim shrugged, letting him go and watching him fall back to the floor. “Watch Steph and I.”

The two in question scooted together and spread their legs so far that they were only a foot or two apart between their pelvic bones. Tim leaned back first, pulling Stephanie with him until her face was resting in his belly. Kon knew he shouldn’t have been surprised at their flexibility, but he found it was really intriguing to watch.

“Maybe try this.” Dick said, standing with his legs spread, bent in half so his hands touched the ground.

Kon attempted, but his hands still didn’t touch the floor.

“You’re really not flexible, are you?” Dick asked, standing up and stretching his arms above his head.

“Not in the least.” Kon shook his head as he followed what Dick was doing.

“Well, at least you look strong.” Tim said, as Stephanie pulled him back towards her.

“Alright class, let’s get started.” Barbara said, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. She sauntered up to her pole and started walking around it.

Kon tried his hardest, he really did, but he wasn’t very good. Sure, he was strong, he could hold himself up, but it was nothing compared to the upside down splits that everyone else was doing.

He turned and watched Tim, legs spread and then wrapping around the pole and sliding down until his hands supported him from the ground, then kicking down until he was standing and able to strut towards the pole again.

“Are you doing alright, back there?” Barbara asked. Kon realized he was still upside down on the pole while everyone else had moved on.

Maybe the blood was just rushing to his head.

* * *

 

“I always feel so good after one of these classes.” Stephanie said, tugging her hair out of the ponytail and ruffling it until it fell back in her pretty, golden waves.

“I’ve got a question for Barbara.” Dick said, shouldering his bag and heading towards the front.

“He’s got such a crush on her.” Tim said, zipping up his hoodie. “He’s taken her beginner course eight times.”

“She’s really good at what she does.” Kon said, tugging at his clothes, trying to get them to lay normally on his body again instead of twisted this way and that.

“Don’t tell me you’ve got a thing for redheads too.” Tim said, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, no, not really.” Kon shook his head. “I don’t really have a type.”

“I’m sure there’s something you find attractive in women.” Tim said, eyeing Steph. She was gathering her things up into her bag, and not paying much attention to her friends.

“I’ve only dated one.” Kon shrugged. “I’m not really sure.”

“Okay, I’m good to go.” Dick said, walking back up to them.

“Get shot down again?” Tim asked, lifting his oversized duffle bag with ease.

“The dam is breaking, little brother. It’s only a matter of time before she realizes how much she wants me.” Dick said, tossing a wave and a wink over his shoulder. Barbara smiled and waved back before turning to the radio in the corner of the room. The next class was starting to file in.

“I haven’t taken one of those in a while.” Tim said, rolling his shoulders. “Feels good.”

“Think you’re going to join me in the stripping game?” Stephanie asked. She had been out and about trying to find a good job at a club, and she was looking into stripping privately at parties.

“I don’t think so. Not yet at least.” Tim shook his head. “Feel free to raid my closet though, before I get rid of all of my clothes.”

“What are you going to wear?” Kon asked suddenly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“My civvies. I’m going to get rid of my sex worker clothing.” Tim said. “I’m sure there are women who would love to have those clothes. Some haven’t been worn more than once, and all of it has been cleaned properly.”

“Want help?” Kon asked, blurting it out before he could stop himself.

Tim stared at him for a moment.

“Sure.” He smiled.

* * *

 

“Why don’t you just give this stuff to Stephanie?” Kon asked, sifting through the box labeled ‘Good Will’ on the side. There were plenty of clothes that would probably fit her.

“She got rid of most of her work clothes too.” Tim shrugged, pulling another shirt out of the closet. “She kept a few for when she starts stripping back up, but for the most part she doesn’t need a lot of them. And besides, I’m sure there are some women who could use these.”

Tim stuffed another shirt in the box.

“I’ve never even seen most of these on you.” Kon said, holding up a lacy white shirt.

“Oh no, you’re not getting me into some 27 dresses montage.” Tim laughed. “If you want to see that much skin now, you’ll have to buy me dinner first.”

“Okay.”

“What?” Tim’s laughter died and he turned and looked at his friend.

“What?” Kon asked, not entirely sure why he said what he did. Tim smiled softly before turning back to his closet.

“You want to take me to dinner?” He asked, pulling a pair of jean shorts out.

“I mean, I uh, you bought us lunch the other day, so I could, uh, return the favor?” Kon asked, hoping it would cover his little slip up. Tim flashed him a small smile over his shoulder.

“You’re kinda cute when you’re flustered, you know that?” He asked, moving another shirt out of the way.

“I, uh, I’ve been told.” Kon blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well, either way, Jason expects us all home for dinner tonight.” Tim said, tugging another shirt off of the hanger and tossing it towards the bed where Kon was sitting. “But how about Friday night?”

“I could, uh,” Kon started, “Yeah.” He nodded.

“Great,” Tim nodded.

Kon swallowed. He felt a bit sick.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the reason this is up so quickly is because this is the chapter I have been most excited about and have been working over some of these scenes since the start of this whole thing. Hope you all enjoy!

Kon was certain that Tim thought it was a date.

Was it a date?

Did he accidentally ask someone on a date?

Was that possible?

Kon was waiting outside Tim’s door. They had agreed on seven, and Kon was so nervous that he left too early and showed up at about 6. He hadn’t wanted to show his nerves so he stayed in the hallway.

This couldn’t be a date.

Kon liked girls, he was sure of it. He always had, even if he was a little awkward around them. They just made him nervous. The way Tim did sometimes.

Maybe it wasn’t a boy thing. Maybe it was just a Tim thing. Maybe he loved girls and Tim was the only exception.

“I’m just going to run this to the trash chute, Jay! Be right back!” Suddenly, the apartment door was opening and Dick was stepping out into the hallway. He was carrying a pizza box, and he caught sight of the nervous young man sitting across from their apartment.

“You know you can come inside, right?” Dick asked, pulling the door shut. Kon took a deep breath and looked up at the older man. “What’s on your mind?” He sat down across from him and set the box to the side.

“Is this a date?” Kon asked quietly, pulling his knees closer to his chest.

“Do you want it to be?” Dick asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t-“ Kon started, but sighed. He was always such a terrible liar. “I don’t know. I thought I liked girls, but then why am I so nervous about this? About Tim?”

“You know, it’s possible for you to like girls and boys. There are words for that.” Dick nodded, reaching out to put a hand on the younger’s knee. “Don’t be so nervous. Tim likes you, however you want to interoperate that.”

“Really?”

“Let’s just say Tim doesn’t exactly make friends easily. But he did with you.” Dick grabbed the pizza box and stood up. “Go ahead inside, alright? No need to sit out here.”

“Right.” Kon nodded, scrambling to his feet. He shoved his hands in his pockets and started for the door.

“Oh, but, Conner?” Dick asked as he was already partly down the hall. Kon turned to look at him. “If this is a date, the bedroom door stays open.” Dick said, then turned and headed for the garbage chute.

Kon blushed.

* * *

 

Jason had told him Tim was in the shower still, and to just go wait in his room. So that’s what he did. He was laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a good ten minutes before he heard the shower in the bathroom turn off.

It wasn’t more than a few minutes later that Tim was padding into the room with just a towel around his waist. He paused when he caught sight of Conner, now starting to sit up.

“Hey.” Tim greeted. “Didn’t expect you so early.”

“Yeah, I uh, I didn’t realize I was so early until I got here.” Kon said through a nervous laugh.

“Well then don’t look for a second, alright?” Tim asked as he padded barefoot towards his dresser. Kon closed his eyes and flopped back on the bed, heard the sounds of the damp towel being dropped to the floor. Heard the rustle of clothes. “You can open your eyes, I’m decent.”

Kon propped himself up on his elbows and watched as Tim moved from the dresser to the closet, only in his boxer briefs. He started sifting through the clothes, trying to find something to wear.

“Hey, how’s it going?” They both turned and saw Dick pushing the bedroom door open, eyes shifting between the two of them.

“Dick, knock!” Tim said, shaking his head. “I’m getting dressed.”

“Leave them alone, Dick! They’re fine!” They heard Jason yell from somewhere else in the apartment. Dick leaned back and looked towards the kitchen, then turned to make eye contact with Kon once. He walked away quickly, but left the door open.

“Sorry, he can be weird sometimes.” Tim shook his head as he worked a navy blue polo shirt on.

“It’s fine.” Kon shook his head. He watched Tim fish out a pair of khakis and slip into them, covering his cotton-clad posterior that Kon hadn’t realized he had been staring at.

* * *

 

The restaurant they had decided on wasn’t super fancy, but nice enough that it wasn’t any place Kon had heard of, and they didn’t serve breakfast 24/7.

Which sucked because with the butterflies in his stomach, he could go for some toast.

“Kon?” Tim asked, setting the menu down for a moment.

“Hm?” Kon asked, looking up from his own menu.

“Are you okay? You seem kinda on edge.” Tim asked, tilting his head.

“I, uh, yeah I’m fine.” Kon nodded, trying to hide in his menu again. But Tim’s hand was there, tugging the menu out of the way until it rested on the table and they could lock eyes again.

“Conner.” Tim said in his sing-song voice, still tinged with worry.

“Okay, sorry. I’m a bad liar. I just,” Kon took a deep breath. “Do you think this is a date?”

“Do you want it to be a date?”

“Everyone keeps asking me that and I don’t know.” Kon pouted, crossing his arms. He had no clue what he wanted, just that whatever it was, it made him want to hurl.

“Hey, Conner, look at me.” Tim said, and Kon listened. “It’s whatever you want it to be, okay? If you want it to be a date, it can be a date. If not, then it’s just two friends having dinner. You’re just returning the favor of me buying lunch last week. Okay?”

Kon nodded.

“We’re still friends, don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah, okay.” Kon nodded again. “Thanks, Tim.”

And Tim smiled.

Kon thought for sure he was going to barf, but he smiled back anyways.

* * *

 

The dinner was significantly less awkward after that. Kon had eaten which eased his stomach a bit, and the conversation was exactly how it always was. Maybe Tim was right. Maybe this didn’t have to be a date.

It’d been so long since he had a close, real friend, maybe he was just confusing the two things. That had to be it.

“You sure you don’t want to come in?” Tim asked. “I’m sure I can find some ice cream or something in the freezer.”

“No, that’s okay, I have to work early tomorrow.” Kon shook his head, rocking on his heels. He knew he shouldn’t have been nervous, but it felt like dropping a date off at their door. And he knew that the date usually expected a kiss.

Not a date. He had to keep telling himself that.

“Alright. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Tim nodded and pulled his apartment key out of his pocket. “Good night, Conner.”

Kon nodded in his direction, and when the door was closed, he nearly sprinted out of the building to hail a cab.

It didn’t take long, and as soon as one pulled up, he gave them the hotel address and pulled out his phone, shutting the plastic window for some privacy.

_“Hello?”_

“Ma?”

_“Conner, Honey, how are you? Are you alright? It’s late.”_

“Yeah, sorry, Ma, I keep forgetting about the time difference.” Kon said with a small laugh. “Just wanted to call and check in.”

_“Conner.”_

Kon took a deep breath and choked out a harsh sob, leaning back against the greasy seat.

_“Tell me what’s wrong, baby.”_

“I think I just went on a date, Ma.” Kon said, trying to laugh it off, but it all sounded so forced, even to him.

_“That’s great, baby. What happened? Did this girl not like you?”_

Kon took a deep breath.

“It was a boy, Ma.” Kon sobbed. “I think I just went on a date with another boy.”

The line was silent for a moment.

“I’m so sorry, Ma, I-“

_“Conner Kent, you stop that right now, Young Man.”_

“But Ma-“

_“No buts. Don’t you ever apologize for that. There’s nothing to be sorry for.”_

“Ma,” Kon sighed. “I’m so confused. It’s wrong, everyone always says it’s wrong.”

_“It’s not wrong, baby. It’s who you are, and who you are is never wrong.”_

“But it’s a sin, Ma.”

“ _Honey, listen to me. God made you the way you are. And he loves you. And I love you, too, Baby. No matter what, you understand.”_

“I love you too, Ma.” Kon huffed out a laugh, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

_“Now, see? Nothing to cry over. Everything will be alright. I promise. Have I ever broken a promise to you?”_

“No.” Kon shook his head, though he knew she couldn’t see him. “Thanks, Ma.”

_“Conner, I am so proud of you. Now you are to bring this boy home so I can meet him, you understand me?”_

“Of course, Ma.” Kon sniffed and dried the last of his tears. “You always know what to say.”

_“Now it’s late, get you behind in bed and get a good night’s sleep, alright?”_

“Okay. I love you, Ma. And tell Pa I love him too.”

_“I will. I love you too.”_

Kon hung up the phone and leaned forward to move the window.

“Hey, I’m sorry, can you circle around back to where you picked me up? I’ll pay you extra.”

* * *

 

Kon took the stairs two at a time, running up to the floor Tim’s apartment was on instead of taking the elevator. He didn’t have the patience to wait for it.

Once he got there he started knocking rapidly on the door, hands shaking.

“Geez, okay.” Tim tugged the door open, sounding rather annoyed, but his face changed when he say a red-faced, shaking, smiling man at his door. “Conner? You forget some-“

And before he could finish, Kon leaned in and kissed him. It was the bravest thing he’d ever done.

He kissed a boy.

And he was happy about it.

Tim pulled back for just a moment.

“Thing.”

“It’s a date.” Kon nodded, leaning in to kiss him. This time, Tim pushed up on his toes, getting a better angle. Kon wasn’t sure how long they were out there, could have been seconds, could have been hours.

But it didn’t matter because he was kissing a boy.

He was kissing _Tim_.

And Tim was kissing him back.

“Whoa, okay, tongues away now.” The two split apart quickly, despite neither of them having used tongue yet, and saw Jason standing in the hallway with a bag from the store down the street, thin enough to see through.

A pack of cigarettes and a bag of chips.

“Let’s not block the hall with tonsil hockey, yeah?” Jason asked as he ushered the two of them into the apartment.

“Jason-“

“Just be glad it was me that caught you, not the big brother.” Jason said over Tim’s whining while he kicked the door shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I have literally wanted to write that phone call with Ma for months. It's my favorite part. Ma is my favorite person. Also, protective big brother Dick. I'm thinking about writing some stuff in this AU focusing on Dick and Jason when they moved out there and some of their side of this story. Thoughts?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is focusing on Kon getting more comfortable with being in a relationship, as well as a little bit of Tim interacting with his family. Also, I am a hardcore JaySteph shipper until I die, and I love the thought of them being friends and they probably hooked up once or twice, Idk, decide amongst yourselves. Also! The story I started about Jason and Dick when they moved out to LA is up on my page, 'If We Go Down Then We Go Down Together'

It didn’t take long for Kon to get used to kissing Tim. He found that it was just like kissing Cassie.

Well, not _exactly._

Tim’s lips were soft, but he was rougher, more commanding than Cassie ever was. Kon spent a lot of their relationship thinking, wondering if he was doing everything right. Tim told him, moved his hands, moved his face. It made it a lot easier to just not think.

But he realized he really had nothing to worry about. Kissing a boy was just like kissing a girl, there wasn’t a difference.

That made this a lot easier.

They kissed a lot the more comfortable Kon got with it, though it was difficult at Tim’s apartment. If Dick was home, they had to leave the bedroom door open, and Dick wasn’t the only one that bothered them.

Sometimes Damian would walk by the door and see them cuddling or kissing and make gagging noises.

Or if Jason was home, he could start singing or playing music as loud as possible at any moment.

Nothing is more terrifying than hearing your date’s older brother start belting the chorus to ‘You’re Gonna Go Far Kid’

Kon fell off of the bed after that.

They usually liked to keep their intimate nights in contained to the hotel. Not that they ever went further than kissing, but it was still murky waters for Kon.

The two of them had gone out for dinner and retired back to the hotel room, Tim with a bit too much wine in him and Kon with a nice, tipsy flush on his face.

“Thanks so much for dinner, Kon.” Tim giggled, getting his arms around Kon’s torso, standing on his toes to kiss his cheek.

“Oh, don’t mention it.” Kon blushed, tilting his head to kiss the man on the forehead.

“You’re so cute when you’re being shy.” Tim laughed, blinking his big, blue eyes. “Anyone ever tell you that?”

“You’ve mentioned it once or twice.” Kon laughed with him, and they stumbled to the bed. Kon scooted up towards the head and pat the spot beside him, waiting.

Tim smiled slyly and shed his jacket before climbing up onto the bed, but not to the spot that was intended for him. Instead he crawled up from the foot until he was nestled between Kon’s legs, on his knees.

They leaned in to kiss each other in the comforting and passionate way that Kon had come to really enjoy. His hands were on Tim’s arms, still not entirely sure what to do with them. Tim never seemed to have an issue with where his hands should go. They were on his shoulders, on his biceps, on his chest. A comfortable pressure to him.

But there was a different pressure that wasn’t so comfortable.

Kon sobered up really fast.

“Tim, wait.” Kon mumbled, pushing the man back. Tim had rutted against his ass, in a way that Kon didn’t think he was even close to ready for.

“What’s wrong?” Tim asked in a husky, raw voice that made Kon want to whine.

“I’m, uh, I just,” Kon took a deep breath. “I’ve never, uh, with a guy. I just, I don’t think-“

“You’re not ready.” Tim stated simply, and Kon nodded slowly.

“I’m not. I’m really sorry, it’s just not something I’m comfortable with. This is all very new to me.” Kon explained, gazing up into Tim’s pretty blue eyes.

Sure, sometimes when they would make out, Kon would get hard. But he had yet to try getting Tim to touch him at all. They hadn’t even gone under shirts yet, let alone pants.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Tim said, sitting back on his feet. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.”

“I feel bad.” Kon mumbled, leaning into Tim’s touch as the shorter man stroked his cheek. “You’re so comfortable and open about this kind of thing.”

“Kon, just because I’ve had sex with other guys doesn’t mean I’m some kind of nymphomaniac.” Tim laughed. “I don’t just jump into bed in relationships. This is something special, it’s not just about sex.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I really like you, Conner. And if you’re not ready to have sex, we don’t have to. I’ll still want to date you anyways.” Tim gave Kon a kiss on his forehead.

“Thanks Tim. I really like you too.” Kon nodded. “Will you stay? The night I mean.”

“You sure?”

“Hey, just because I’m not comfortable having sex doesn’t mean I don’t want to cuddle.” Kon said, smiling shyly, and Tim laughed.

“Sure.” He nodded and climbed off of Conner to lay down beside him. “Let’s see what’s on tv.”

* * *

 

The next morning, Kon woke up to see one of the movie channels playing some older movie, not something he was interested in.

Tim was fast asleep in his arms, hair splayed out on the pillow and cuddled tightly into the blankets.

They watched a movie and a half the previous night before dozing off, and the sight of Tim in the morning was pleasant.

Kon slipped out of bed, quietly, and headed for the bathroom to jump in the shower. He was supposed to go to the studio later in the day, and he was sure he smelled a little like alcohol.

He took his time scrubbing his hair and body, mentally planning out his day. He wouldn’t get out of the studio until almost 9, and after that he was going over to Tim’s and they were going to go watch Stephanie perform at her new job.

She started at a higher end strip club, and she was excited about it. She would be making almost as much as she was as a hooker.

Kon froze when he heard the bathroom door open.

“Uh, Tim?” He asked.

“Sorry, sorry, I just have to brush my hair and teeth.” Tim said, turning the sink on. “Jason wants to meet me for brunch and I don’t want to give him any more fuel than he already has.”

“Right, yeah, uh, that’s fine.” Kon nodded, a blush growing on his face.

“Relax, I can’t see you or anything.” Tim said, toothbrush in his mouth and garbling his speech. “Besides, you’ve seen me mostly naked.”

Kon paused again.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” He said, turning the water off and reaching for his towel.

“Kon?” Tim asked, spitting into the sink. But Kon had already wrapped the towel around his waist and thrown open the shower curtain. Tim caught sight of him in the mirror and froze.

Kon watched the other man’s face turning red.

“You uh,” Tim took a deep breath. “Wow. I guess working on a farm does some really nice things for you.”

Kon stepped forward and pulled Tim into a slightly damp hug, letting the shorter man curl up in his arms.

“You don’t have to-“

“I want to.” Kon mumbled, leaning down to kiss Tim quickly. “I’m trying to be more comfortable with this sort of thing.”

“Well, I’m certainly comfortable with this.” Tim said, running his fingers over Kon’s abs. “These are nice.”

* * *

 

“She did such a great job.” Tim said as they walked into the apartment, shedding their jackets. “She really likes her new job.”

“She seemed to be enjoying herself.” Kon agreed, kicking his shoes off.

“Hey there kiddos!” The two looked up and saw Jason leaning over the loft’s railing. “Hot date?”

“You missed quite the show, Jay.” Tim said with a laugh. “Steph looks great in a thong.”

“Hell I can see her in a thong any time I want.” Jason scoffed, winking down at them.

“Stop being disgusting.” Damian growled from the couch where he was reading a book.

“We’ll take you next time, Dames. I’m sure you’d love to see Steph working.” Tim teased, ruffling Damian’s hair as he passed him.

“A young woman should not be parading around in such a state of undress.” Damian scoffed, but his cheeks flushed.

“She’s coming over after her last set, we’re having a camp out in the living room.” Tim said, gripping the back of the couch. “So move your tush, pipsqueak.”

“Excuse me but I live here too.” Damian snarked over his book. “I have a right to sit here as long as I please.”

“You sure do.” Tim nodded, then grabbed the couch by the bottom and tipped it forward until Damian hit the floor with a thud. “And I have every right to move you.”

“Drake!” Damian shouted, scrambling to his feet and getting onto his knees on the now righted couch, face to face with Tim.

The older gave the younger a shove and he stumbled back, ass first, onto the coffee table.

“Dick! The kids are trying to kill each other!” Jason shouted back into the lost, and Dick popped up over the railing a moment later.

“Hey, guys, come on-“

“He started it!” Damian shouted, lunging over the back of the couch towards Tim, but he simply stepped out of the way and let Damian land on the floor.

“Knock it off you two.” Dick came jogging down the stairs, kneeling down to help Damian up. “You okay?”

“I’m perfectly fine.” Damian growled, jerking away from his brother’s worried hands.

“Tim, just let him hang out with you guys.” Dick said. “You’re his brother, you’re supposed to be nice.”

“That’s not fair.” Tim crossed his arms. “Why do Damian and I always have to get lumped together just because we’re the youngest? Why do I have to share my friends with him?”

“You two don’t get lumped together any more than Jason and I do.” Dick sighed. “Please?”

“And hey, at least the two of you haven’t had to share a girlfriend.” Jason said as he strutted down the stairs. “Yet.”

“God, you guys are worse than Bruce.” Tim growled. He threw his hands up in surrender and headed for his room, slamming the door behind him.

“Sorry, he has his little fits now and then.” Dick sighed, glancing at Kon.

“Conner!” Tim threw his door open again and yelled for the man standing at the door. Kon blinked in fear and rushed towards the bedroom door.

“Door stays open!” Dick shouted after them, but as soon as Kon was inside, Tim slammed the door.

* * *

 

“You alright?” Kon asked, watching Tim flop onto the bed face first.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to get upset.” Tim mumbled, turning so he was facing Kon. “I just hate being forced to do stuff like I’m still a kid.”

“You know, I don’t mind hanging out with Damian.” Kon said, sitting down on the bed beside him. “He’s not bad. I have a little brother too, remember.”

“Yeah, I know. It sucks, doesn’t it?” Tim laughed.

“Eh, it’s not all bad. I couldn’t imagine having more than one little brother, though.” Kon shrugged, and Tim pushed himself up into a sitting position.

“And I’m not being a very good little brother either, am I?” Tim asked, resting his hands in his lap.

“Well, I’m sure you could be a little nicer.” Kon shrugged, and Tim got up quickly. He followed the shorter man to the door and watched him walk out to the living room, just in time to see Dick starting up the stairs with Jason in front of him. He hurried over to his older brothers and wiggled his way into Dick’s arms for a hug.

Dick looked at Kon over Tim’s head, and the younger just shrugged.

“I’m sorry.” Tim mumbled.

“Don’t worry about it, Timmy. Jay and I are going to bed, okay? No more fighting.” Dick said, letting his younger brother step back.

Tim headed over to the couch where Damian was pouting and hugged him from behind.

“No more fighting, I promise.” Tim nodded as the younger wiggled out of his arms.

“10 bucks says that promise doesn’t see the light of day.” Jason scoffed, and Dick smacked his arm as they started back up the stairs.

* * *

 

The next morning, Stephanie and Jason were in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone. The three of them had slept in a pile of blankets on the floor while Damian had slept on the couch, the youngest of which was still asleep.

Tim had wanted to hop in the shower, and Kon was trying to figure out how to work the fancy coffee machine to make Tim coffee.

“Don’t you work in a coffee shop?” Jason asked, taking another waffle out of the waffle iron.

“Yeah, and we still have crappier equipment than you guys.” Kon said, finally figuring out the brew button.

“You two are precious.” Stephanie said, stepping in front of Jason to pour some batter into the iron, letting him box her in against the counter. Jason was without a shirt, and Stephanie was in one of his t-shirts that almost completely covered her shorts.

Kon was still really confused by those two, but chose not to focus on it.

Once the machine stopped brewing, Kon took some cream from the fridge and a few big spoonfuls of sugar and mixed it in, letting the black coffee swirl into a warm beige.

“He likes his coffee sweet.” Jason said as Kon took the mug and headed towards the hall bathroom.

“I know.” Kon called back with a nod.

“Lock the door unless you want Dick to follow you in there.” Jason said, pointing with his spatula. Dick was still fast asleep upstairs in the loft.

“Thanks.” Kon nodded again and opened the door to the bathroom.

Once inside, the air felt thick with steam. Kon set the coffee on the counter and used his fist to clean off some steam from the mirror.

“Hello?” Tim called from the shower.

“Just me.” Kon said, wiping his hand off on his jeans. “I brought coffee.” He said, reaching for the door handle. He remembered what Jason said and locked the door.

“Well hey there hot stuff.” Tim said, poking his wet head around the shower curtain. “Coffee?” He held his dripping arm out for the mug, and Kon brought it to him. He took a long sip before handing it back.

“Better?”

“Much, thank you.” Tim nodded. “You gonna wait until I get out?” He asked as he pulled back into the shower.

“If you don’t mind.” Kon said, hopping up to sit on the counter.

“Of course I don’t mind. As long as you’re comfortable being around me when I’m naked.” Tim said, and Kon blushed.

He knew Tim was naked, but there was the image in his head.

“Hey, uh, Tim?” Kon asked, his voice cracking a bit.

“What’s up?” Tim asked over the pounding of the water.

“Can I try something really quick?” Kon asked, biting his lip. He reached down to tug at the hem of his shirt, slowly pulling it off.

“What’s that?” Tim asked, and before he could get an answer, Kon was stepping into the shower.

Completely nude.

“Kon, we don’t have to-“

“I don’t want to.” Kon shook his head. “I just, I wanted to see you. Have you see me.” Kon mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to hide. This was embarrassing, and he couldn’t even look at Tim, he was looking up at the ceiling.

“Conner?” Tim asked, stepping out from under the spray, getting closer to the taller man. “You can look at me, it’s okay.”

“I’ve never seen another guy naked before.” Kon sighed, closing his eyes. “Sorry, I’m nervous.”

“Kon.” Tim said, reaching out to take his hands. “Don’t be nervous. It’s just a body.”

Kon took a deep breath and looked down.

Tim was so beautiful.

His skin was pale, porcelain, and pretty. He had the outline of abs on his stomach, and he was lean.

“Wow.” Kon breathed, staring blatantly down at Tim’s cock. “I uh, I’ve never seen-“

“I know.” Tim nodded with a giggle. “It’s okay.”

Kon watch as Tim raked his eyes over his body and blushed, feeling suddenly incredibly exposed.

“Kon, you look amazing.” Tim said, moving his hands up to his chest. “Can we kiss or are you still not comfortable with that?”

“No, no, kissing is good.” Kon nodded with a blush, and Tim stood on his toes to kiss him softly.

Kon couldn’t believe he had a naked body, another man’s naked body, _Tim’s naked body_ , pressed against him while they kissed. It was a whole new level of erotic, and he couldn’t believe it.

It was exciting.

He decided to be bold and moved his hands down to Tim’s backside and gave it a squeeze. Tim squeaked.

“Sorry, I’ve just wanted to do that for a long time.” Kon whispered, moving one hand up to brush some of Tim’s wet hair out of his face.

“It’s fine.” Tim giggled. “You’re making me kind of hard.”

“Yeah, me too.” Kon mumbled. “Can we kiss more?” He asked.

“Of course, Kon.” Tim nodded and got back up on his toes again.

* * *

 

After fifteen minutes of kissing in the shower and ten of trying to get their erections to go down enough to get dressed, Kon and Tim emerged from the bathroom to a few whistles from Jason and Stephanie, who were on the couch where Damian had been sleeping, eating waffles.

“Shut up.” Tim laughed, snuggling into Kon’s embrace as he hugged him from behind, around his shoulders.

“So how was the shower?” Stephanie asked, teasing eminent in her voice. “Work up an appetite?”

“I hate you, you know.” Tim said as he headed towards the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

“Oh, you love me.” She said, stretching out and putting her feet in Jason’s lap.

Kon smiled and took a seat in the chair, watching Tim patter around the kitchen in bare feet, bumping hips with Dick, who had been eating in the kitchen.

The older man paused to take his little brother’s face in his hands and give him a small pout. Kon wasn’t sure what Tim said, but whatever it was got a kiss on the forehead and a small smile.

“Oh, hey, while you were in there, someone called you.” Stephanie said, grabbing Kon’s phone off of the coffee table and passing it to him.

One missed call from Mom.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to explore not only Tim's past, but also Kon's relationship with Lois. I feel that he is much closer to his mother than his father. I'm thinking about writing their early family life, but basically in my head they got married young and had Kon young, and Clark wasn't ready to be a father so he and Kon aren't close. Anyways, enough rambling. Enjoy!

Kon shut the apartment door behind him as he lifted his phone to his ear, waiting for the ringing to stop. He prayed that he could just leave a quick ‘sorry I missed your call, call me back later, love you’ message, because phone tag was much easier than a conversation.

But he had no such luck.

_“Hi Honey.”_

“Hey, Mom. Sorry I missed your call, I was in the shower.” Kon said, running a hand through his still kind of damp hair.

_“It’s fine, Conner. I haven’t heard from you in a couple weeks, I thought I’d see how you’re doing.”_

“I’m doing great, Mom. I, uh, I’ve been working in the studio a lot and I’m making a lot of headway on this thing.” Kon nodded and shoved his free hand in his pocket, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

_“That’s wonderful, Honey. So I talked to your grandmother.”_

“You did?” Kon asked, and his heart sank. Did Ma tell her? He didn’t think he was ready for that conversation.

_“She said you’re seeing someone new.”_

“Uh, yeah, yeah I am. We’ve been on a few dates now.” Kon nodded, biting his lip. One of them had to bring it up, and it wasn’t about to be him.

_“Well tell me about her. What’s her name?”_

“Huh?” Kon asked, blinking. So Ma left out the major detail. “Uh, her name is Stephanie. She’s really nice, and pretty.”

“ _What does she do?”_

“She’s, uh, she’s a backup dancer.” Kon said, furrowing his eyebrows.

_“Oh how exciting. Well, Honey, as much as I want to keep talking to you, my lunch break is almost up. I did want to tell you though that I’m heading out there for work next week, so we can spend some time together, okay?”_

“Yeah, I’d really like that, Mom.” Kon nodded.

_“I want to meet Stephanie, Ma said you really like her.”_

“Yeah, I really do.”

_“I’m sure she’s wonderful. Okay, baby, I’ll text you the details of my trip, okay? I love you.”_

“I love you too, Mom.” Conner said, eager to hang up his phone. He let out a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall with a thud, his heart still racing. A moment later, the door opened and Tim stepped out into the hall.

“So how’s your mom?” He asked casually.

“She’s great. Excited to come out and visit me next week.” Kon mumbled, avoiding Tim’s eyes.

“Oh.” Tim muttered, and Kon nodded.

“Well, that’s not the worst thing.” Kon sighed. “I uh, I told her I was dating Stephanie.”

“Kon-“

“I’m just not ready to tell her yet, Tim. I’m still trying to work through it myself.”

“Kon-“

“This is really hard for me, and I don’t know how she’ll react, what if she tells my dad-“

“Conner!” Tim shouted, finally getting the man’s attention. “It’s okay.”

Kon blinked.

“Really?”

“Of course. Sit here with me.” Tim sat down on the floor and Kon slid down beside him, took one of his hands in his. “My dad died when I was eight, that’s when Bruce adopted me. And my mom died when I was six. I realized I liked boys too not long after, and I had this one boy in my class. His name was Bart, and he was my best friend. All I wanted to do was hold his hand.”

“Just hold his hand?” Kon asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well I was seven at the most, I thought making out was just people biting each other.” Tim laughed. “Anyway, one day after school, I asked Bart to come over to my house. My nanny was there, but my dad was at work. And Bart and I played all afternoon, we played house. I was the mom, he was the dad. And I convinced him that moms and dads hold hands, so we did for hours. We used my stuffed animals as babies and walked them around the living room, my nanny always told me it was cute. And then I kissed Bart on the cheek like I had seen my dad do to my mom, and my dad saw.”

“Oh no.”

“Well, let’s just say dinner was very quiet. That night he asked me why I had kissed Bart and I told him that I really liked him, I wanted him to be my girlfriend. And my dad said I had to find a girl to be my girlfriend.” Tim said with a small laugh. “What I didn’t realize then was that my dad wasn’t saying Bart couldn’t be my boyfriend. Just that if I wanted a girlfriend, I had to find a girl. I just assumed that when a boy dated someone, they called it a girlfriend.”

“How are you so smart now?” Kon asked with a chuckle, and Tim smacked his arm.

“My point was that your family won’t be mad. It’s not as hard to tell them as you think.” Tim smiled and squeezed Kon’s hand. “They have to know eventually.”

“How did you tell Bruce? Or your brothers?” Kon asked, leaning his head back against the wall.

“Well, it was easy telling my brothers. For starters, I continued to pursue Bart throughout elementary and middle school, and his older cousin was friends with Dick. They caught us together all the time. Not that we were ever doing anything particularly bad, we were only kids.” Tim explained. “I remember one time, Bart and I were maybe ten, Dick and Wally caught us in my room, we were trying to learn how to kiss.”

“What did they do?”

“Well they laughed because we weren’t moving, just had our lips touching, eyes wide open.” Tim laughed too at the memory. “They were fifteen, they had had their fair share of kisses at that point.”

“What about Jason and Bruce?”

“Well with Jason, I just told him. I always followed him around as a kid because he was my older brother, and as much as I loved Dick, Jason wasn’t that much older than me. I wanted to be cool like him. And one day we were watching tv, Jason always let me watch stuff I shouldn’t have, and a character made a gay joke and I just blurted out that I thought I liked boys too. Jason just nodded and said okay.”

“And Bruce?”

“Well, that was harder. When I was twelve, I came home from school crying because Bart had found a girlfriend. He didn’t want to hold my hand and kiss me anymore. And our butler must have told him I ran straight to my room after school because he came looking for me and I was crying in my room with one of the stuffed animals Bart and I loved using as one of our babies when we played house. And we talked about it, talked about what it means to like girls and boys.” Tim explained.

“Your first broken heart, huh?” Kon asked, rubbing his thumb over Tim’s knuckles.

“Oh yeah. big time. Bart was my first crush.” Tim said with a small smile. “What about you, who was your first crush?”

“This girl in my fifth grade class, Megan.” Kon laughed, remembering the cute redhead who sat in front of him. “I told her I liked her and she told me she had a boyfriend. I hated that guy for the longest time because he got to push Megan on the swings.”

“You’re so fucking cute.” Tim said, turning his soft smile on Kon.

Kon smiled too, because he felt better about eventually telling his family, and hearing about Tim warmed his heart.

“You wanna make out?” Tim asked coyly.

Kon laughed.

“Sure, but don’t bite me.” He said, starting to pull Tim closer.

“No promises.” Tim whispered against his lips.

* * *

 

The two of them had been kissing in the hallway, Kon couldn’t say how long. It felt equal parts very long and not long enough.

“Whoa, okay, kiddos, let’s keep our spit to ourselves.” They heard, and looked up at the door to see Jason, an unlit cigarette in his mouth. “We have neighbors.”

“Sorry, we were just talking.” Tim said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Uh-huh.” Jason raised an eyebrow. “Let’s keep the face fucking to a minimum please.”

“You’re worse than Dick.” Tim groaned as the two of them got to their feet and headed into the apartment.

“Hey, I don’t care if you fuck, but same rules as before, I don’t want to see it.” Jason said, digging in his pocket for his lighter.

“Same rules as before?” Kon asked once the door was shut.

“When Stephanie and I dated, he caught us making out on the couch and he said he didn’t care what we did with each other but he didn’t want to see it.” Tim shrugged.

“Hell, he didn’t say it couldn’t happen on the couch.” Stephanie chimed in from the couch where she and Damian were watching tv. The younger of the two jumped up immediately.

“Disgusting.” He scowled.

* * *

 

Kon stood at the airport, watching passengers file out into the baggage claim. Lois’s plane landed, he knew, he was just waiting for her to come down the escalators.

Finally he caught sight of her, long black hair, same taupe travel suit that she always wore, bag slung over her shoulder.

“Mom!” He shouted, watching her scan the crowd around her. She turned and caught his eye, smile growing on her face.

“Conner, Honey, how are you?” She asked as she hurried up to him and welcomed him into a hug. He was taller than her now, something he didn’t think he would ever get used to, but he tried his best to make himself small for her sake.

“I’m fine, Mom. How are you?” He asked, pushing her back a bit.

“A little jetlagged but I’m fine.” She nodded, leading him towards the baggage claim. “So where’s Stephanie?”

“She’s uh, at her apartment. I wanted to come pick you up by myself.” Kon said with a nod, reaching for his mother’s suitcase. He knew which one was hers, embroidered with two ‘L’s on the pocket. It had been a gift for graduating college from her parents. “Thought maybe we could grab some lunch on the way to the hotel.”

“That sounds wonderful, Baby. I could go for some take out. We could lay in bed and watch some funny movies for the rest of the day.” Lois suggested, letting her son take her other bag from her shoulder. “I want to hear all about what’s been going on with you.”

“We can do that, Mom. I know a great Chinese place by the hotel.” Kon said, leading her towards the entrance of the airport.

* * *

 

“So, what have you been doing out here?” Lois asked, now dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, eating noodles out of the container with a fork. “I mean, I know you’re dating but have you made friends or anything?”

“Yeah, I’ve made some really good friends actually. Stephanie’s really good friends with her ex-boyfriend, and so am I.” Kon nodded, smiling despite the way his Mom’s brow furrowed.

“Isn’t that weird?” She asked.

“I thought it would be, but not really.” Kon shook his head. “They haven’t been together in years, and Tim is into guys.”

“Oh, I see.” Lois nodded. “Well I’m glad you’ve made friends.”

“Me too. Other than that I’ve just been working. I work at the café downstairs in exchange for me living here, and working in the studio of course.” Kon said with a nod, putting a forkful of chicken into his mouth. “So you wouldn’t tell me, what’s the article you’re writing? I’ve never known you to have to fly this far for work.”

“Oh, you’ll like this. I’m out here to do a feature on what the Wayne boys are up to.” Lois said, and Kon almost choked on his chicken. “You know, Bruce Wayne’s sons. They’re all living out here.”

“Yeah, I know.” Kon nodded, clearing his throat. “I’m friends with them.”

“Oh, how exciting. Then you should come with me when I interview them in a few days. I’m going to catch up with a friend from college tomorrow, but I’m interviewing them on Wednesday.” Lois explained, grabbing the remote and turning on a movie.

“Yeah, that’ll be fun.” Kon nodded, leaning back into the pillows.

* * *

 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Jason said, holding up his hands as Kon paced the floor in front of the coffee table. “Your mom is coming here to interview us?”

“Yes.” Kon nodded.

“I never agreed to that.” Jason shook his head.

“Yeah, me either.” Tim said, looking back at Dick in the kitchen.

“I did. I spoke with her a couple weeks ago.” Dick explained, making himself a cup of tea. “I thought it’d be fun for us to do.”

“No, that’s only fun for you, Dick.” Jason groaned. “You’re the only one out of all of us that like posing for the camera.”

“Dick, I’m not doing that, what the hell am I supposed to say? I was recently arrested and fined for prostitution, that’s not something I want in the paper.” Tim growled.

“You have to, Timmy, it’ll look weird if it’s only the three of us.” Dick said, taking a seat beside Jason. “I didn’t know it was your mom, Conner.”

“She writes under her maiden name.” Kon shook his head. “But this is so messed up, She doesn’t know that Tim and I are dating and-“

“She doesn’t have to find out.” Tim said, looking at his brothers. “Right?”

“Yeah, we won’t tell her.” Dick agreed. “Don’t worry. She’s just seeing what we’re all up to. Tim this is a good chance to show that you’re doing better things. That you’re hanging out with friends, seeing someone exclusively.”

“I can’t tell her that.” Tim shook his head.

“Why not?”

“Because I told her I was seeing Stephanie.” Kon mumbled. “And you don’t know my mom, she’ll dig. She’ll keep digging until she figures out who, even if she doesn’t print it.”

“Then we’ll think of something, don’t worry.” Jason said before Dick could make it worse.

* * *

 

“So, tell me, Dick, what do you do for a living?” Lois asked, setting her recorder down on the table.

“Well, I actually perform in a show as an acrobat. It’s pretty big here, we’ve toured once or twice, but the LA shows are always the biggest.” Dick explained, and Kon was starting to sweat.

He and Tim were in the kitchen, and he was very aware of where he was touching, what his hands were doing. He didn’t want to show any signs of attraction towards the other man.

“Relax, you look like you’re going to throw up.” Tim whispered, putting the last of the crackers and cheese on the plate.

“I think I’m going to.” Kon said, leaning over the sink.

“You’re doing fine.” Tim shook his head and sauntered over to the living room, placing the snacks on the table.

Kon thought maybe Tim was right, he wasn’t acting any different than normal, and his mom had never suspected that her son had been anything other than straight for years. Hell he hadn’t even suspected it so he must have been damn good at hiding it.

But then the door opened and Stephanie stepped in, long, tan, trench coat on, bright purple heels underneath, and her hair done up into a wavy pony tail.

“Tim I need to borrow your vanity.” She said, rushing back towards his bedroom.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Tim nodded and watched her run. “Sorry, that was Stephanie.”

“That was Stephanie?” Lois asked, looking back at Kon in the kitchen, whose face was either paling or turning red, he felt kind of numb so he wasn’t entirely sure. “She must not have noticed you there.”

“Yeah, she’s just trying to get ready, I guess.” Kon shrugged, gripping the counter so hard he thought it might crack.

“The three of us had plans to go out to dinner tonight.” Tim said smoothly. “I’ll go see if she needs anything.”

He and Kon shared a look before Tim retreated into his bedroom.

“She’s very pretty.” Lois said, still watching her son. “I hope you’re taking her somewhere nice.”

“Of course I am, Mom.” Kon groaned. He was tempted to follow after Tim but thought better of it, knowing that neither his mom nor Dick would want him in that bedroom with the door closed.

“So anyways, you’re an acrobat. How do you train for that sort of thing?” Lois asked, turning back to her subject.

“Well I’ve always been an acrobat, as you probably know. I’ve been on a trapeze since I was two. But this show is different and I get to experiment with a lot of different things, like aerial silks, hanging rings, we’re even starting something new soon with a really tall pole.” Dick explained. “A lot of that stuff I go in to practice, but I’ve been taking pole dancing classes with a friend of mine to see what sort of stuff I can do.”

“Pole dancing?” Lois laughed. “Isn’t it strange for you?”

“Oh no, I always have the same instructor, and there are more guys in the classes than you’d think sometimes.” Dick laughed and nodded.

“Sorry, the light in my bathroom burned out and I didn’t have a spare bulb.” Stephanie said as she emerged from the bedroom, face now fully made-up. “I just had to finish my eyes.”

“So Stephanie,” Lois said, extending her hand. “I’m Lois Lane, Conner’s mom.”

“Mom-“

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Stephanie shook her hand. “Conner has told me so much about you.”

“So, you kids are going out to dinner?” Lois asked, looking back at Kon.

“Yeah, we better get going.” Kon said, rushing around the kitchen island. “Don’t want to be late.”

“Don’t you work tonight, Brown?” Damian asked, eyebrows furrowing. He had been mostly silent in the chair. Then it dawned on the other boys in the room.

No one told Damian.

“Uh, yeah, but not until later.”

“I thought your show started at seven.” Damian looked down at his phone.

“Show? Conner said you’re a backup dancer, who do you dance for?” Lois asked, looking up at the blond.

“Uh-“

“Backup dancer?” Damian scoffed. “Is that what you call it now?”

“Damian,” Dick hissed, trying to silence him.

“Conner?” Lois asked, looking back at him again.

“Uh-“

“Brown is a stripper. Whoever told you otherwise is a moron.” Damian scoffed again, and made that annoying clicking noise with his tongue.

“Damian, why don’t you go to your room?” Dick asked, and the youngest simply rolled his eyes, sighed, and did what was asked of him, the door slamming in the silent apartment.

“So you lied to me.” Lois said with a nod. “You’re a stripper?”

“Uh, yeah, but just until I can save up money to-“

“Steph, don’t worry about it.” Kon sighed, flopping into the chair, putting his head in his hands.

“Conner, that’s rude.” Lois scolded, getting up from her seat.

“God, this is so fucked up.” He mumbled to himself. “Mom, here’s the truth. You’re going to want to sit down.” He got up from his seat and let her take it, starting to pace around the table.

“You’re scaring me, Conner.”

“Mom, I’m not dating Stephanie, first off. She’s not a backup dancer, she’s a stripper. But she’s a very good friend of mine and she loves her job.” Kon said.

“But your grandmother said-“

“I know what Ma said. And she left something out. I am seeing someone new, Mom. I’m seeing Tim.” Kon motioned to the boy across from her. Dick got up and rushed to the kitchen for a bottle of water to give the woman. “I like girls, but I like guys too.”

"Honey, why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" Lois asked, glancing around at the other boys in the room.

"I just, I-I thought you and dad," Kon took a deep breath, felt his hands start shaking. "I didn't want you guys to-"

He stopped talking for a second, trying to compose himself, but the lump in his throat just wouldn't go away. He sat down on the couch, head in his hands. He didn't want everyone to see him crying, least of all his mom. He couldn't remember the last time Lois had seen him cry.

"Is that what you think? That your dad and I would be mad at you?" Lois asked softly.

Kon nodded slowly.

"Did you think I'd hate you?"

Another small nod

Dick leaned over the back of the couch, trying his best to comfort Kon, rubbing his arms and hugging him.

Lois sighed and sat down beside him, her hands replacing Dicks.

"Honey, there is nothing you could do that would make me hate you. You're my baby boy, and I love you so much. That will never change. No matter where you move or who you date." She said, trying to pull him closer, until she could run her fingers through his soft hair.

"Mom," Kon mumbled, feeling small again, feeling like he was five years old. He leaned into her chest and let her baby him for a minute. "I love you too."

Tim finally moved, sitting down on Kon's other side, reaching for one of his hands.

"Mom, can I ask a favor of you?" Kon sniffled as he sat back up. "Please don't tell Dad yet. Or Jon."

"They have to know eventually, Honey." Lois said, echoing the words Tim had told him.

"I'm just not ready to tell them yet." Kon shook his head and squeezed Tim's hand. Lois chuckled and brushed a few stray hairs back on his head.

“Of course. You tell them whenever you’re ready, I’ll stay quiet. But you know, this article doesn’t come out until next month. Would you like to be in it?” Lois asked, taking his other hand in both of his.

“Me?” Kon squeaked.

“Well I’m writing about what all of the boys are up to now. If Tim is seeing you, that’s an important detail.” She explained. “If you’re still not ready, I can edit it.”

Kon thought about it for a moment, shared a glance with Tim.

And he nodded.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello All! Sorry this took so long, I had a very busy month of June and I kind of fell out of writing for a bit. But I'm back, and this happened and I'm so happy. Also, I think Kon and Lois are closeish. I don't think he's as close with her as he is with Ma, but in this AU, Kon and Clark never got along well so Lois was it for him. I was thinking about writing about Kon's early life because I think his parental relationships are very important. Let me know if you want to see that!

After getting back to the hotel, Kon and Lois decided to stay in her room again. Kon had ordered take out from the restaurant so he and Lois could have a late night meal.

"Well those boys seem very nice." Lois said as she pulled her hair out of her clip. "Though the youngest is a bit ornery."

"Yeah, Damian's a bit of a recluse." Kon shrugged, unpacking the meals.

"So, let's talk about Tim." Lois said, and Kon froze. "Well one of us had to start. I'm not mad, I want you to know. I just have a lot of questions."

Kon sighed.

"Yeah, I figured as much. Okay, shoot." He said sticking a fork in his mouth and carrying the containers over to the bed.

"Conner he was charged with prostitution."

"I know, Mom.”

“Did you know that he was selling himself when you started seeing him?” She asked, and Kon poked at his burger with a fork.

“It’s kinda more complicated than that.” Kon sighed. “I knew Tim was a hooker right off the bat. I just didn’t know right away he was a guy.”

“Huh?”

“When I first got here, Tim tried to pick me up as a client but decided against it because I was too nice. But the way he was dressed, I assumed he was a girl, because he just looked so pretty. And I paid him to be my date for a dinner with Harvey that night so he wouldn’t know I was living in a hotel.”

“And you’re okay with it?”

“Mom, Tim is such a great person. I don’t care that he was a hooker. He makes me so happy, and so nervous and scared, in a good way. Like Cassie used to.” Kon sighed. He wasn’t sure his stomach would ever calm down now.

“I know he makes you happy, Honey. I’m just looking out for you.” Lois put a hand on his knee and squeezed. “Now when did you start seeing him then?”

“Just a few weeks ago. I don’t know, after meeting the first time, we hit it off as friends. He really helped me get back on my feet, him and Stephanie. And he just started making me nervous all the time, and I just realized I liked him more than a friend. That was after he was charged.” Kon explained, eating a fry.

“Why was he doing it?”

“Mom.” Kon said sternly. She always got inquisitive with him, the reporter in her never took a break.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. Off the record, Honey. Always off the record, whatever you say.” Lois said, taking a bite of her salad.

“He wanted to be independent for once. He’s never done anything outside of Wayne Enterprises, and he wanted to be more like Jason and Dick. But he doesn’t think he’s good at anything, so once Stephanie got roped into hooking, he joined her.” Kon shrugged. “Mom this is really uncomfortable.”

“I know, Honey, I know. Just one more question, I promise.” Lois pleaded, gesturing with her fork. “Are you two being safe?”

“Mom!”

“Conner, I just care about you is all.”

“Mom, that’s personal.” Kon huffed. “But, if you must know, we’re not, uh, we’re not.” He shook his head.

“You’re not using protection?”

“No, Mom, we’re not having sex.” Kon sighed, ready to jump out the window. “We’re taking things slow. This is all new to me.”

“Well, I’m glad. I don’t want you to rush into anything so soon.” Lois smiled softly. “Can I ask one more thing?”

“As long as it doesn’t have to do with sex.”

“How long do you plan on living in a hotel?” She asked, looking around at her room. “Because, no offence, but you could do a lot better.”

Kon chuckled.

* * *

 

Kon practically ran into the apartment, Lois trailing behind him. He had been excited to take Tim and his mother to the studio so they could see what he was working on.

“Tim! Your puppy is here!” Jason shouted, and Tim appeared in the loft, partially dressed. He was in a pair of jeans, but he looked like he couldn’t decide on a shirt.

“Jason, go away.” He said, glaring at his older brother.

Dick popped up behind him, holding the collar of a t-shirt open and slipping it over Tim’s head. The younger of the two jerked away from the older and finished dressing himself.

“I’ve got it.” He grumbled, yanking the hoodie out of Dick’s hands and tying it around his waist. “Let’s go, these two are driving me nuts.”

Kon watched Tim descend the spiral staircase, reached out for Tim’s hand.

“I’ll be back later.” Tim said, nearly running out the door.

“Make good choices!” Dick yelled after them.

* * *

 

“Honey, you sound amazing.” Lois said, accepting a bottle of water from her son.

“Thanks, Mom.” Kon smiled and sat down beside Tim, handing him a bottle of water as well. “I’ve been working a lot.”

“It sure shows.” Lois nodded, reaching over to squeeze her son’s knee.

“Well he hasn’t been putting in as much work as he should.” Harvey said with a smirk as he walked into the lounge area. “Busy little bee, that one.”

“Yeah, I’ve got kind of a packed schedule.” Kon shrugged. “But we’re making good headway.” He explained, letting his arm wrap around Tim’s shoulder casually.

“Well, go hang out with your friends, I think you’ve done enough work for the day.” Harvey said, offering everyone a wave. Lois paid him no mind as he left, smiling from ear to ear at her son.

“Mom?” Kon asked.

“I’m sorry, Baby, it’s just, I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time.” She said, reaching over to grasp his hands.

“Mom-“

“I know, I’m sorry. Listen, let’s go get some lunch before we do pictures, okay? I’d like to get to know you better, Tim.”

“I’d like that.” Tim said with a nod.

* * *

 

“It’s so nice to spend quality time with you, Honey.” Lois said as the three of them sat down in the booth. “I haven’t gotten to spend time just the two of us in so long.”

“Like 17 years now, right?” Kon asked with a smirk, and Lois smacked his arm softly.

“17 years?” Tim asked.

“What Conner means is that since his little brother was born, it’s been a bit more challenging to spend time together.” Lois explained. “I’m sure you understand, having brothers and all.”

“Well it’s a bit different since I was adopted.” Tim shrugged. “Damian didn’t materialize in the picture until I was twelve, so I didn’t have to deal with him as a baby. Kon doesn’t really talk about his brother.”

“Well, there’s not much to talk about.” Kon shrugged.

“Conner!”

“I mean that I don’t really talk to Jon. We’re not super close, mom.” Kon explained with an eye roll.

“I know, Honey.” Lois nodded. “When Jon was five, Kon tried to sell him to our neighbor.”

Tim laughed.

“I was tired of sharing a room.” Kon shrugged again.

“Well luckily we got a bigger apartment not long after that so you two didn’t have to.” Lois said. They paused the conversation while the waitress took their order, and when she was gone, the oldest of the bunch turned to Tim.

“So tell me about yourself, Tim.”

“Mom,” Kon warned.

“It’s fine, Kon.” Tim said, squeezing his knee under the table. “What did you want to know?”

“How long have you lived here?”

“I’ve lived here for five years now. I finished high school early and moved in with Dick and Jason. That’s not what you want to know about, is it?” Tim asked, and Lois blinked at him.

“Tim-“

“It’s okay.” Tim nodded and gripped Kon’s hand. “I know I haven’t made the best choices, and you’re probably worried about Kon. But that’s all behind me, I swear.”

“Well I’m glad to hear that, Tim.” Lois smiled warmly at him. “I’ll admit, I was concerned, but you seem like a very nice boy.”

“Okay, can we not talk anymore?” Kon asked, face burning.

“We can change the subject.” Lois nodded. “Tell me your favorite thing about the city.”

* * *

 

“I do really like your mom.” Tim said as he closed the door behind himself. They had spent the day with his brothers, taking pictures of what they do in their daily life. Tim got to take pictures out in the city with Stephanie and Kon, which he loved. They hadn’t taken many pictures as a couple, and it was kind of fun.

Jason had pictures taken practicing with his band in the loft, Dick doing some routine stretches, hanging off of the loft railing. Damian had photos of him playing violin.

Finally she took pictures of all of them eating the dinner that Jason cooked, even all grown and living their lives, they were still a family.

“She likes you too.” Kon said, tugging his jacket off and tossing it onto the chair. “Thanks for doing all that.”

“It was no problem.” Tim shook his head, leaning back against the door. Kon climbed into his bed, lounging back against the headboard. They shared a small smirk before Tim pushed off of the door and crawled up onto the bed.

He climbed into Kon’s lap, straddling him, putting his hands on his broad shoulders. Kon’s hands trailed down his back, resting on his waist. Tim leaned down for a quick kiss, but immediately came back for a longer, softer kiss.

Kon liked this, the kissing. It was still his comfort zone. It was easy to ignore his nerves when they kissed, and it was something he knew how to do. It wouldn’t be long until they were in territory he had never been in, and that made him nervous. How was he supposed to know what to do?

Tim finally settled down, sitting his weight fully in Kon’s lap while they kissed. His tongue slid against Tim’s, and a jolt of excitement went straight to his dick. He bucked up against Tim’s weight experimentally, felt the fabric of his boxer briefs rubbing against him.

Tim pulled back.

“Kon?”

“I know, sorry.” Kon whispered, his voice raw.

“No, it’s okay. Are you,” Tim tilted his head. “Whatever you want, okay? Just tell me.”

Kon didn’t know how to voice what he wanted, because a lot of the things he wanted, he didn’t think he was ready for. Instead he hooked his thumbs into Tim’s belt loops and tugged a little, encouraging the shorter man to rut against him timidly.

Tim let out a breathy moan before leaning back in for another kiss, grasping tightly at Kon’s shoulders.

The sensation was different. Kon and Cassie had done similar stuff back when they were new and exciting, but there was a different feel. Tim was a different person, he was a bit slimmer, a bit more muscular, and there was a definite erection rubbing against Kon’s own.

He started rocking up into Tim, meeting his short thrusts with just as much vigor. He could feel precum leaking into his underwear, giving him a whole different sensation.

Kon fanned his fingers out and grabbed onto Tim’s hips and ass, tugging a little bit more forcefully, trying to chase the feeling building up in his stomach.  

Tim moved his mouth, let Kon tip his head back, eyes still closed. He kissed up his jaw, opened his mouth around his ear.

That’s what did it, the hot sounds of Tim’s wet mouth tugging on his earlobe, that had Kon jerking up uncontrollably. He cried out in his least dignified way, pushing his pelvis up against Tim’s and feeling his hips give a few more little thrusts, feeling his pulse through his entire body and a humming in his head.

Tim pulled back a moment and sat carefully on Kon’s thighs, blinking at him.

“Did you-“

“Yeah, uh, sorry.” Kon blushed, still panting. “Did you-“

“No, but that’s okay.” Tim shook his head and smiled. “Like I said, not until you’re comfortable.”

Kon blinked, the fog in his head clearing, and he pulled Tim down beside him. The shorter squeaked in surprise, panting.

“Kon-“

The taller cut him off with a kiss, reaching down to unzip his jeans. Kon wasn’t sure where this brave streak was coming from, but he thought he was okay touching Tim. He probably wasn’t okay being touched himself, but maybe-

“You don’t have to-“

“I know.” Kon nodded, moving his lips to Tim’s neck, tickling him a little. “I want to.”

Tim stayed quiet after that, leaning into Kon’s touches. He lifted his hips enough for Kon to tug his pants down just below his ass. He was painfully hard in his underwear, and it was clearly visible.

He hummed as Kon experimentally touched him through his briefs, felt his cock twitch under the new attention. Kon’s lips moved to his collarbone, what he could reach of it, and started sucking, biting.

“Fuck, Kon.” Tim bucked up towards his hand, tossed his head back against the pillow. Kon finally moved to reach inside Tim’s briefs, gently touching the head of his cock. It was different than his own, of course, and he timidly grabbed it. He stroked up carefully, feeling the soft skin and had dick moving under his fingers.  

“Conner.” Tim whined, hips starting to fuck his hand. Kon’s calloused hand felt so much different than his, and while he had had a number of different hands on his dick, rough hands were his favorite.

Kon pulled back to just watch his face, eyes squeezed shut, mouth open, sweat beading on his forehead. His hips moved in tandem with his strokes, and suddenly he was feeling hot cum spilling over his hand, Tim screamed, back arching and head flinging back.

Kon stared in awe as he came down from his high, panting, whimpering, eyes glazed over as they opened slightly.

It was probably the hottest thing he’d ever seen.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in 2 days? Yes my friends, I'm back! And this chapter came out of no where. I want Kon to start getting more comfortable with physical stuff, I think it's really important to his character development. Also, Jason. I think he's lots of fun, and he loves his band.

The rest of Lois’ visit was fairly uneventful, at least in Kon’s eyes. They hung out, saw some things Lois wanted to see, but too soon they were dropping her off at the airport for her flight home.

“I love you, Honey. I’ll let you know when I land.” She said, hugging her son tightly.

“Okay. Tell Dad and Jon I say hi.” Kon said, sad to let his mom go. He at least had a good relationship with one person in his immediate family, and it was always nice to rekindle it.

“Of course. I’ll see you again soon, I hope.” Lois said, reaching out to hug Tim.

“Have a safe flight.” Tim said as she left the car. The stayed idle while she rushed into the building, bags in hand, until she vanished from sight and the car was moving. Kon sighed, watching the airport move out the window.

“Conner, do you miss your mom?” Tim asked, scooting closer to him. Kon slipped an arm around his shoulder, readjusting his focus.

“Yeah, a bit.” Kon nodded. “I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like, I never go home.”

“Well we’ll just have to fly her out here more often. Or fly back to see her.” Tim suggested.

“You’d really do that?” Kon asked.

“Of course, Kon.” Tim nodded and Kon kissed his nose.

“You’re so great.” Kon mumbled, moving down to kiss his lips. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Kon.” Tim nodded, turning in his seat so he was facing Kon fully.

“What are we?”

Tim blinked owlishly.

“We’re dating, I thought.” He said, furrowing his brows.

“No, I know that but, I mean, are we just dating or are we like, going steady?” Kon asked, and Tim chuckled.

“Oh, you’re so cute.” Tim said, ruffling his hair. “No one’s gone steady since the 50s. But I’d like to think we’re exclusive, if that’s what you mean.”

“Okay.” Kon nodded, looking down at the floor of the limo. “Then Tim, will you go steady with me?”

“Of course.” Tim nodded and leaned in for a kiss.

* * *

 

Tim and Kon were reclined in Tim’s bed, cuddling, eating popcorn, and watching a movie. The door was wide open, but the sounds from the living room were pretty quiet.

“Hey, let’s make out.” Tim said suddenly, eyes still glued to the television.

“The doors open.” Kon said, glancing between the door and Tim.

“So? Dick said the door had to stay open, he didn’t say we had to be boring.” Tim said, taking a handful of popcorn. Kon thought about it for a second, then took the bowl of popcorn, set it on the nightstand, and leaned over a giggling Tim. He leaned down to start with a quick kiss, letting Tim get his giddy little laughs out first.

“Hey guys-“ The two turned and looked at the door and saw Jason standing there. “Oh, gross, close the damn door.”

“Leave that door open!” Dick shouted from somewhere in the apartment and Jason sighed, hanging his head for a moment before looking back up, watching Kon sit back on his haunches while Tim propped himself up on his elbows.

“Anyways, I just got off the phone with Roy. We’re throwing a benefit concert tonight so fuck, get dressed, and be ready to leave in an hour.” Jason said, tugging the door closed as he left the room, yelling to Dick that they were adults and that they’re fine.

“Well that kinda killed my mood.” Tim said, blowing a strand of hair out of his face.

“Guess we have plans tonight.” Kon said with a nod. “Think I could borrow a shirt from someone?”

“Jason’ll probably have something you can wear. Come help me pick out something cute.” Tim said, wiggling his way to the edge of the bed. Kon reached out and gave his ass a smack, and Tim squeaked.

“Sorry, you have a cute little butt.” He said with a smile, then followed Tim to his closet.

* * *

 

“Thanks for the shirt.” Kon said, unbuttoning his flannel. “I don’t really have a ton of nice clothes.”

“No problem.” Jason shrugged from where he was running his fingers through his hair. “You’re a big guy like me, it’s hard to find clothes anyways.”

“That’s the truth.” Kon scoffed, tugging his shirt off over his head and adjusting his glasses.

“Hey, you wanna sing tonight?” Jason asked, adjusting his own shirt. He was dressed in a plain black t-shirt and light jeans, one of his favorite show outfits.

“What?”

“Well the concert is for charity, and the longer it goes the better. You wanna be our opener?” He moved to grab his guitar off of its stand, nestling it in the case waiting open on the bed.

“I, uh, yeah, yeah, I’d love to.” Kon blinked. He’d never played in front of such a big crowd before.

“Don’t pass out, kid.” Jason said, reaching out to steady him. “No different than singing in front of a mirror.”

“I’ll, uh, can I borrow a guitar?” Kon asked, taking a deep breath.

“Yeah, grab one off the wall.” Jason jerked his head towards the few guitars hanging on the wall. “And a piece of advice. If you can, lose the glasses. You won’t be able to see the audience as well and you won’t sweat them off.”

“Okay, yeah.” Kon nodded. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Jason said with an easy smile, and Kon couldn’t help it, he lunged forward to give him a hug. “Okay, okay, save it for later big guy.” He said with a laugh.

* * *

 

Kon’s heart was pounding in his chest. He had borrowed an old, Jason-approved Rolling Stones t-shirt and his jeans, his regular boots. He could hear the crowd out there shouting for Red Hood and the Outlaws. There was music pulsing from the speakers, shaking Kon to his core.

“Babe?” Tim asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, pulling his gaze away from the audience that he could see through the wings. “You okay?”

“I think I’m gonna throw up.” Kon said, trying to take a deep breath. His hands were shaking, he didn’t know if he could even play guitar.

“Calm down, it’ll be okay.” Tim said, tugging him in by the t-shirt and giving him a kiss. “I’ll be right here the whole time.”

“I’ve never performed in front of this many people, Tim.” Kon shook his head, looking backstage towards where Roy and Jason were sharing a cigarette. The stage was outdoors, much to their pleasure.

“Kon, look at me.” Tim said, hooking his hands around Kon’s neck, forcing his gaze down, letting their foreheads rest together.

“I’m scared.” Kon whispered.

“I know,” Tim nodded. “You’re going to go out there, and you’re going to do your best. Just sing, okay? Just like you do every day. Don’t worry about the people. When you get nervous, sing to me.”

“Yeah, okay.” Kon nodded, accepting a quick kiss.

“You’ll do amazing, Kon.” Tim said, letting him go and smiling up at him.

“Ready, Kid?” Jason stepped up behind him, clapped him on the shoulder. Kon took a deep breath, locked eyes with Tim.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

* * *

 

It was going better than he expected seeing as he hadn’t thrown up on stage, and the crowd that had no clue who he was seemed to be enjoying some of his original songs. He sang some covers too, since he wasn’t exactly well known.

He was just finishing up his cover of an old one direction song, trying to play a wide range to appeal to everyone. His set was almost up, but he had one more to get through. He sat down on the stool provided and adjusted the guitar on his knee, taking a deep breath.

In his head he dedicated this to Tim, but he couldn’t work up the guts to do it out loud. At least not fully.

“This last one is for, uh, someone special.” He said, strumming out a few notes on his guitar. He launched into one of his current favorite country songs.

While he sang he glanced over at the wings and saw where Tim promised he’d be. He was standing there, wide eyed, hands clasped under his chin, looking pretty much in awe.

“In case you didn’t know,” Kon sang, offering him a small smile. “Baby I’m crazy ‘bout you. And I would be lying if I said that I could live this life without you.” He turned back to the audience, saw phones and lighters swaying back and forth. “Even though I don’t tell you all the time, you had my heart a long, long time ago. In case you didn’t know.”

Kon kept singing, sneaking glances at Tim. Jason and Roy were snickering, seemed to be teasing him, but Tim didn’t mind in the least. He was still watching with that same look, completely ignoring his brother.

The song finished, and Kon said his farewells, listened to the crowd cheer for him. He felt like he was on top of the world. He turned and headed for the wings, barely got off stage when Tim collided with him, throwing his arms around his neck for a hug.

“You sounded amazing, Kon.” Tim mumbled against his neck.

“Good job, Kid.” Jason said, patting him on the back. “Stay tuned.”

The taller man waved Roy and Kori over, Kori being carried piggyback on him. The three of them rushed out, met with cheers and screams, and Kon felt his knees start to buckle as his nerves caught up with him.

“Tim,” Kon said, setting him down. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Why, Babe, you did so good.” Tim said with a small laugh, grabbing Kon’s face and kissing him hard. “You’re amazing.  You’re so-“

Kon cut him off with another kiss, adrenaline still pumping in his veins. He lifted Tim up again, let the shorter man wrap his legs around his waist.

“Let’s go to the dressing room.” Tim whispered, and Kon nodded dumbly. The started towards the stairs on the side of the stage, leading down to where the trailer was parked that was being used as the dressing room. Luckily, everyone else was out in the audience, Dick, Damian and Lian, so it was empty when they fumbled their way in.

Kon practically dropped Tim on the couch, desperately trying to work the shorter man’s shirt off.

“Babe, wait.” Tim said, pushing Kon back a little bit, and Kon sat down on the couch, panting.

“What’s wrong?”

“Can I try something?” Tim asked. “If you want me to stop, just say so.”

“Yeah, okay.” Kon nodded, leaning in to kiss along Tim’s neck. The shorter giggled, then pushed Kon to lay down. “What are you doing?”

“Shh.” Tim said, giving him a quick kiss before he reached for Kon’s belt. He quickly undid it, tossing it somewhere where it knocked something off of something but he couldn’t care less at that point. He undid Kon’s jeans, pulled them down enough to expose his underwear and his half-hard cock.

Kon could only watch him as he tugged his underwear down enough for him to be exposed to the hot and heavy air hanging in the room. Tim took him in hand and started to stroke him, which was odd because he’d never felt the other man’s touch there before. His hand was surprisingly soft, but skilled. Knew exactly what to do to work Kon up until he was achingly hard.

 Before he knew what was happening, Tim was leaning down, taking his cock into his mouth.

“Fuck!” Kon shouted, gripping the back of the couch so hard he thought the fabric ripped a little.

He didn’t get this kind of treatment often. It was never Cassie’s favorite thing to do, said it grossed her out, but it always felt amazing when he was being generous.

He pushed his hips up, tried to stop himself but Tim’s mouth felt so good, hot, and wet. He let his hands trail down, running over Tim’s soft hair. The shorter man looked up at him, eyes clouded over and mouth stretched.

Kon tossed his head back, arching up into his mouth. He could feel that he was close, tried to tug Tim’s hair as a warning.

“Fuck, Tim.” Kon groaned, feeling Tim’s tongue on him, pressing in the right places. “Tim!” He shouted, pushing up into his mouth, cumming hard against his throat. His ears were humming, and he was seeing spots, but Tim was swallowing around him and sitting up, which got his attention.

“You alright?” Tim asked, and Kon nodded, grasping Tim’s shirt and pulling him down to kiss him hard. He tasted something bitter in his mouth, but his head was too cloudy to care at the moment. He just wanted to reciprocate.

He reached down, undid Tim’s jeans and pushed them down until they were below his bare ass.

“You didn’t wear underwear?” Kon asked breathlessly.

“Not in jeans this tight.” Tim shook his head, leaning up for another kiss. Kon give his backside a small smack before moving his hand between them, getting as good a grip as he could on Tim’s cock. He couldn’t move his hand much, but Tim was thrusting into his fist and it seemed to be working for him.

Tim pushed his t-shirt up, trying to avoid getting it dirty since it was Jason’s. The head of his cock rubbed against Kon’s abs, moving in and out of Kon’s fist.

“Fuck, Kon.” Tim breathed, letting his head hang down between the two of them. “Conner!” He shouted as he came down onto Kon’s abs. Kon blinked up at him, and Tim blushed. He usually had a much longer fuse than that.

“You okay?” Kon asked.

“Sorry, blow jobs kind of get me going.” Tim panted, sitting back on Kon’s legs. The two of them took a moment to clean up, tucking themselves away and wiping up the mess they made. Not a moment later, the trailer door opened.

“Uh, Mr. Kent? They’re looking for you on stage.” The stage hand said, headset hanging around his neck.

“Shit.” Kon hissed. Tim hopped off of him and the two of them started running back to the stage.

“Kon wait.” Tim said, grabbing his hand before he could bolt out of the wings. He pulled him back and gave him a quick kiss. “Knock em dead.”

“Right.” Kon nodded and jogged out onto the stage, was met with cheers and one of Jason’s smiles.

“There he is, told you guys we’d find him somewhere.” Jason said into the mic, joining the audience in clapping. “Get lost back there?”

“Something like that.” Kon said, grabbing the guitar he had been using off of the stand. He stepped up beside Jason, ready to play the song they rehearsed, when Jason covered the microphone with his hand and leaned back.

“You’re flys down, man.” He said, and Kon blushed. He turned away from the audience for a second and pulled his zipper up, gave a tight smile to a giggling Kori at the drums. He turned back to Jason, who raised an eyebrow. Kon smiled sheepishly. “Oh, gross.”

“Let’s do this!” Roy shouted into his mic, and suddenly they were back in the swing of things.

Kon looked over and Tim was in the wings, right where he promised, smiling.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to show everyone's interactions with their friends, as well as Tim's kind of wild side. Also Dinah. She's my new favorite. Also, Tim was probably super screwed up after Jason and Dick left, so that'll show in this story

After the concert, everyone was ushered to a house out in the suburbs of LA. They fit as many people in their car as they possibly could, Tim was even forced onto Kon’s lap and Roy was lying across Dick, Jason, and Kori.

“Let’s party it up!” Roy shouted, fists up in the air.

“Can we have a tea party?” Lian asked from the lap she was in. Everyone loved the little girl, and it was a game of pass the baby all night.

“Sure thing, Pumpkin.” Roy reached behind him and pinched her cheek.

“I’m not a pumpkin, Daddy.” She said, rolling her eyes.

“I invited Barbara, hope you guys don’t mind.” Dick said, and Kori ‘oooh’d.

“She cute?” Roy asked.

“She’s adorable and way out of your league.” Jason barked, reaching for the cooler on the floor and coming back with a water bottle.

“Hey, I can get someone that hot. I got Kori, didn’t I? She’s hot.” Dick argued. “Besides, are you saying you have a higher league than me?”

“Of course. Kori’s still out of my league though, you settled there, princess.” Jason laughed, and Kori giggled.

“You’re both very upstanding gentlemen and I’m sure you could both date whomever you please.” Kori said.

“You doing okay?” Tim whispered, leaning back against Kon’s chest. His arms tightened around his waist.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Kon nodded. “You?”

“I’m okay.” Tim said, trying to turn to face him. “We’re almost there anyways.”

“Hey, Timmy, your little girlfriend coming too?” Roy asked, and Tim nodded.

“Yeah, Steph said she’d meet us there.”

“Sweet, she’s the best.” Roy said.

“Hey, hands to yourself there.” Jason warned. “Your daughter is present.”

“I won’t do anything, don’t worry. But seeing her do a body shot never gets old.” Roy scoffed. “Hey we’re here!”

“Yay!” Lian shouted, bouncing up and heading for the door.

“Come back here squirt!” Roy called, scrambling after her as she bolted out the door for the house. He scooped her up, earning himself a squeal and a laugh.

Everyone filed out of the car, Tim and Kon bringing up the rear.

* * *

 

The pair found themselves in the kitchen, snacking on chips and dip while the majority of the party was focused in the basement.

“So whose house is this again?” Kon asked.

“This is Roy’s parents’ house. His step-mom is their manager.” Tim explained. As he took another chip, a blond woman came strolling through. She was wearing an old, grey t-shirt that said ‘mother of boys’ and a pair of black shorts that fell to her mid-thigh.

“Oh, Hi, Tim. I was wondering where you’d run off to.” She said, smiling at the shorter of the two on her way to the fridge. She paused when she saw Kon, smiling at him with her pretty red lips. “And who is this?”

“Uh, Dinah, this is Conner. My, uh, my boyfriend.” Tim said with a blush. Dinah smiled back at him.

“Oh, Honey, I’m so happy for you. He’s a cute one.” She said, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. “Nice to meet you, Conner. I hope to see more of you.” She waved and headed back out of the kitchen, circling around to head back to the basement.

“That was Roy’s step-mom.” Tim filled in.

“She’s nice.” Kon mumbled. He was never much for parties, usually wasn’t invited to them in the first place. Before he could add anything, the back door opened and Jason came in, carrying Lian against his chest, with Roy trailing them.

“Do I hafta go to bed, Daddy?” She asked over Jason’s shoulder, followed by a yawn.

“Yes you do, young lady.” Roy said with a laugh.

“Can Jayjay tuck me in?” She asked, locking her arms around Jason’s neck.

“Sure thing, Princess. Come on, Dad.” Jason laughed, leading Roy through the kitchen towards the foyer.

“Full house, huh?” Kon asked, rocking back and forth on his feet.

“Yeah. You okay?” Tim asked, reaching for his drink. It was pinkish, whatever it was, in a glass bottle.

“I’m just not a huge party person.” Kon shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. He was itching for a beer, wanted to loosen up a little.

“Come on.” Tim said, holding out his hand for Kon to take. He pulled him down to the basement, where the lights were flashing, music was blaring, and people were loud.

Tim led him through the crowd, towards where the bar was and where Stephanie was showing off how she could put a bottle in her shirt, lean back, and drink with no hands. A group of people were cheering her on, chanting ‘chug’.

“Steph!” Tim shouted as she stood back up, plucked the bottle from between her breasts.

“Hey, Handsome!” She said, kissing his cheek.

“We’re gonna step out for a few. Cover me?”

“You got it, Baby!” She called back, reaching for a bottle of vodka. “Alright, whose belly button am I doing a shot from?”

Tim pulled Kon back out of the basement while everyone cheered. They made their way back to the foyer and out the front door into the cool night air.

“She’s quite the party animal.” Kon said, stripping out of his jacket and draping it over Tim’s shoulders.

“Yeah, she likes to have fun.” Tim nodded. The two of them walked down the pathways to the side walk, turning to start walking down the street. “You did a great job tonight, Kon.”

“Thanks.” Kon nodded, rubbing his bare arms.

“I can’t believe you sang a song for me.” Tim said, and his blush was visible even in the dark. “That was so sweet.”

“Well, that move always scores big.” Kon chuckled. “It’s the whole reason I learned to play guitar.”

The two of them linked hands and continued walking, towards where the sub division starts to turn to beach. The waves could be heard in the quiet night, and Kon was almost comfortable finally for the first time in the whole day.

His whole time being in the city, though it hadn’t been for very long, he had been so shot out of his comfort zone that he didn’t even feel like the same person. When he left smallville, he was just a small time singer with a tiny little record deal at a small label. He had a girlfriend he thought he would marry, settle down, and have kids with, a place to live, and the only friend he had was who he thought was the love of his life.

Now he had a boyfriend, and he performed on stage with one of his favorite bands, he lived in a hotel, and had people he actually considered friends, people that actually liked him.

“Conner?” Tim asked, and Kon left his own head, turned to look at the man beside him. The wind was coming off the water, blowing Tim’s short hair into his face. “What are you thinking about?”

Kon looked out at the ocean, staring at the stars and moon’s reflection.

“I just can’t believe this.” Kon shook his head. “It’s only been a few months, and I feel like and entirely different person now.”

“Do you feel better for it?” Tim asked, tipping his head back to look at the stars.

Kon followed his lead, staring straight up and seeing the millions of little lights above them.

“Yeah.” He nodded, closing his eyes and breathing in the salt air.

* * *

 

They didn’t stay out at the beach for long, wanted to at least make an appearance at the party.

They trudged back to the house with every intention of returning to the beach where it was quiet and still. As they approached the house, the muffled music could be heard inside.

Once in the foyer, the floor separated the noise. The library had a soft glow coming from it, and Tim peaked in to see Damian in one of the chairs with a book in his lap, but fast asleep.

“Not much of a partier either?” Kon whispered, and Tim smiled, shook his head.

“Let’s go find Steph.”

The two of them headed down to the basement where the music was still loud and people were everywhere.

Jason and Roy were on the dance floor, dancing with each other without a care what anyone else thought. The music was fast and fun, and so were they.

Kori and another woman with long red hair were on one of the couches, playing some kind of drinking game with a group of people. Whatever it was, it looked like the two of them were winning.

Stephanie was found bartending, mixing up shots and Dick was downing whatever she gave him.

“Hey, Guys!” She called as they approached.

“What’ve you got, Steph?!” Tim shouted over the noise, leaning over the bar. Stephanie reached behind her and grabbed a martini glass, mixed up something quick and passed it over to him.

“I know you like those.” She said with a wink. “And you look like a beer guy.” She reached under the bar and pulled out a bottle, popped the top off and handed it to Kon.

“Thanks, Steph!” Tim shouted, taking a sip of his Manhattan.

“Let’s do some shots!” Dick shouted, and the redhead beside him laughed. Kon recognized her as the woman who taught the pole dancing class they took.

“Don’t give him more alcohol.” Tim said to his friend. “We don’t need him puking in the limo again.”

Kon sat down on one of the bar stools and took a few sips of his drink, trying to feel a little bit comfortable.

“I’m going to go talk to Roy and Jason.” Tim whispered in his ear, and with a small squeeze on his shoulder, he was off into the crowd of people. He glanced over at Stephanie, dressed down in a pretty crop top, a long tan cardigan, and leggings, leaning over the bar. Her hair was up in a ponytail, which bounced whenever she moved.

“You don’t seem like you want to be here.” She said, and Kon blinked, not realizing she had moved.

“I’m not a big party person.” Kon shook his head.

“You want something to loosen you up a bit?” She asked, motioning to the bottles behind her. “I’ve got a little bit of everything.”

“I, uh, yeah sure.” Kon nodded, and she set herself to work. He watched her mix a couple things together, shaking it in a martini shaker. He thought she would make a great bar tender if she wanted to change career paths.

“Here, this is a bit stronger than the beer.” She said, putting a glass in front of him. Kon took a sip, felt the alcohol burn down his throat. He coughed a couple of times, not used to drinking that much.

“This is terrible.” He said, clearing his throat.

“I know, drink it.” Stephanie said with a smile, passing a shot of what looked like orange juice to Dick.

Kon did as he was told, finished that drink and let her make him another, something different but equally as strong.

“Hey babe.” He felt someone’s hot breath on his neck and ear, turned to see Tim standing there, sweet smile on his face. “Let’s head back.”

“Yeah, okay.” Kon nodded, finished the little bit of drink he had left. When he stood up, he felt it, and he swayed a bit.

“Steph, can I borrow your jacket?” Tim asked, and Stephanie nodded, slipped off her cardigan. Jason walked by her and whistled while he grabbed a beer and a soda.

“It’s a party now.” He said, stopping to give her a kiss on her forehead. “Save a dance and a drink for me.”

“You’ve got it, sweet thing.” She said, passing her cardigan over the bar.

“Let’s go, Babe.” Tim said, taking Kon’s hand in his. Kon quickly grabbed the beer he had set down and let himself be led back through the house and down the street.

“What’s the rush?” Kon asked as Tim practically ran into the sand, stopping short of the water.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone?” Tim asked as he pulled a little white stick out of his back pocket.

“Oh, I uh, I don’t smoke pot.” Kon stammered, eyes going wide.

“Not everyone in California smokes pot, Kon.” Tim laughed and rolled his eyes, taking a lighter out of his other pocket. “It’s just a cigarette.”

“You smoke?”

“Not really. Every once in a great while. I know it’s weird, but I like the smell, and the look of the smoke.” Tim said as he took one long drag, let a cloud of smoke roll out of his mouth into the air. He held the cigarette up, watched it burn.

“That’s not good for you.” Kon shook his head.

“I know. If Jason ever found out, he’d kill me.” Tim nodded, watching smoke curl off the cylinder in his hand. “After Dick and Jason left, I was really not in a good place. And when I’d miss Jason, I’d sneak into his room onto his balcony and burn one of the cigarettes he left.”

“Missed them that much?” Kon asked, lying back in the sand.

“Yeah, I did. It really fucked me up when they left.” Tim laid back beside him, holding the smoldering cigarette in front of his face. “I didn’t have anyone to lean on, other than Damian, but at the time, we didn’t really get along.”

“Is that why you moved out here?”

“One of many reasons. After a few years of no mediator, I was really at odds with Bruce. We fought all the time, if we were even talking at all.” Tim mumbled, breathing in one more drag before tossing the smoldering bit of the cigarette off. Kon was surprised it hadn’t burned his fingers.

Kon took a swig of his beer,  still feeling a little fuzzy in his head.

“I know how that goes.” He said, and Tim rolled onto his side.

“Hey you wanna try something?” Tim asked, a sly smile forming on his face. Kon turned his head to face him.

“Isn’t this a little public?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, nothing like that.” Tim said, sitting up. “At least, not yet.” He pushed up onto his feet, took Kon’s beer, took a sip, and walked down to the water. Kon pushed himself up onto his elbows and watched as Tim let out a long, loud scream.

“Tim?!” Kon hissed, getting up quickly. He rushed to Tim’s side as he stopped, turned to him with a smile.

“I used to go down to the docks when I’d get really mad. Just scream.” Tim said, tipping his head back, wrapping the cardigan tighter around himself.

“Why?”

“Just feels good.” Tim shook his head, let out another loud scream. “Try it.”

Kon paused for a moment, took his drink back and took a sip.

Then he let out a scream over the ocean.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Tim asked, reaching to take the beer again.

“It does.” Kon nodded. He looked down to his left, saw the lights on at the pier down the beach. “Think they can hear us?” He asked, nodding at the pair he saw walking on it.

“I think that’s Barbara and Dick.” Tim said, standing on his toes as if it would give him a better view.

They watched as the pair stepped into the shadows between two lamp posts. Dick stripped off his clothes, down to nothing, and ran to the edge of the pier, jumping off the end into the water.

“Oh my god.” Kon said, closing his eyes.

“Oh my god.” Tim laughed, taking another sip. “I have an idea. Follow my lead.”

Tim grabbed his hand and the two of them sprinted down the dark beach, ducking underneath the pier in the dark to listen.

“Come on, Babs. No one can see us.” Dick said, floating on his back.

“You’re insane, Boy Wonder.” Barbara called down to him, but the sound of a belt hitting the planks could be heard in the quiet night. Kon and Tim watched as the woman dove into the water, her silohette illuminated by the moon light.

“Come on.” Tim whispered, pulling on Kon’s sleeve until they were up onto the pier, running down as quietly as they could. Tim stooped to grab Dick’s clothes, and they took off running again, laughing as soon as they hit the sand and the street.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was looking at this and holy shit I didn't expect it to be as long as it did when I started writing it. I really love this AU and I'm so glad you guys do too. This chapter is the aftermath of the party as well as probably a week afterwards. I'm really excited for the character development in this chapter. It kind of ties into chapter 4 of 'If we go down, then we go down together' that I posted last night. Tim isn't used to being paid attention to. I wanted to get into that a bit here. Enjoy!  
> P.S. That, uh, thing that Tim has (you'll know) can be found here https://mayleebaby28.tumblr.com/post/163492149265/lisa-jam-hello-ive-opened-preorder-for-these
> 
> They all have those.

Once back in the house with Dick’s clothes stashed away in Roy’s room, Tim and Kon were dancing, a few more drinks in each of them.

Jason and Stephanie were dancing together, a phone number written on her stomach and a drink in her hand. Jason was spinning her around with her free hand, laughing.

“Hey, you seen Dick?” Jason asked, getting closer to Tim and Kon. Tim giggled.

“He was down at the pier with Barbara.” He said, a sly smile on his face.

“Is everyone having sex tonight except me?” Jason asked, spinning Stephanie again.

“You could be too if you play your cards right.” Stephanie laughed.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Jason shook his head. Tim shed the cardigan he was wearing and handed it back to Steph, and Jason helped her into it, wrapped it around her to cover her exposed skin.

“Are they like, a thing?” Kon whispered, finally ready for an answer.

“Eh, not really. They both really like to flirt, and Jason is just more protective than he seems.” Tim explained, pulling Kon towards the bar for another drink. Kori was back behind the bar, pouring a couple drinks for a really muscular looking guy and another tall redhead.

“Hello, Tim.” She greeted.

“Can I have a couple wine coolers?” Tim asked, and Kori grabbed two bottles from underneath the bar. “Thanks Kor!” He shouted as they started back to the dance floor.

Suddenly, Dick came running down the stairs, Barbara’s jacket tied around his waist to cover himself as much as he could.

“Dick, where the hell are your clothes?” Jason asked, and Barbara giggled.

“Someone stole them.” Dick said, glaring out at the basement. “Roy! I’m borrowing some clothes!” Dick shouted over the noise of the basement, walking across it towards the bedroom. Kon closed his eyes, but Stephanie’s eyes followed the man as he walked, blatantly staring at his backside.

“That looks nice.” She said, reaching out to high five Barbara.

“The amount of times I’ve seen that man’s bare ass is numbing.” Jason mumbled, rolling his eyes.

* * *

 

Kon woke up to the sounds of vomiting, but after cracking his eyes open and seeing Tim fast asleep beside him, he tried to ignore it.

But then someone moved on his other side and he opened his eyes again.

He turned over and saw Stephanie on his other side, hair fanned out over the pillow, looking so much like the views he used to get when he visited Cassie over the summer.

Someone vomited again.

Kon wiggled his way out of the bed, climbing off the foot of it. The door was open, which explained why he could hear everything.

After a quick look around, he saw Dick through the open bathroom door, leaned over the toilet, and Jason sitting on the edge of the bathub, scrolling through his phone.

“That’s what you get for doing shots.” Jason said, listening to Dick heave again.

“Is he okay?” Kon asked, nodding towards him.

“No he’s a fucking moron.” Jason said, still not looking up from his phone.

“You are not helpful.” Dick groaned, closing his eyes.

“I’m not helpful unless you’re paying me to be here.” Jason said, and Kon turned away from the pair, heading back towards the bedroom he had been in.

Tim and Stephanie had moved, taking up the space he had been in, both still asleep. Kon didn’t remember some of last night, but Tim and Stephanie had switched shirts. Tim was in a short, black, lacy crop top and Stephanie was in a navy blue v-neck.

At least he was still in his clothes.

He followed more noise down the grand staircase, into the kitchen where Dinah was floating around the kitchen, a very large stack of pancakes. Damian was sitting at the island, fiddling with his phone.

“Good morning.” Dinah greeted. “Grab yourself a plate before the rest of the hoard attacks.”

Kon silently did as he was told, taking a plate from the stack and sitting beside Damian. Dinah put a couple of pancakes on his plate and he mumbles his thanks.

“Did you sleep well?” She asked.

“I did, thank you.”

“How is Dick feeling?” Dinah asked, handing Damian a plate as well.

“Probably not very good.”

“Richard is moronic for drinking excessively.” Damian scoffed.

“Well, while we try not to drink, I know some people enjoy it every now and then.” Dinah said, pointing her spatula at Damian. “He’s a big boy, he can make his own decisions.”

The kitchen fell into silence until someone trudged up from the basement, and both Kori and Roy appeared.

“Pancakes?” Roy asked, and Dinah nodded. “You’re the best, Dinah.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“Well someone has to feed you kids.” She said with a smile. “And you and I both know your father cannot cook.”

“Where is Dad?” Roy asked, and Dinah sighed.

“He’s up in his office. Has been since 6 am.” She shrugged, and Kon took a bite. He hadn’t seen much of Roy’s dad.

“I’ll go get him out.” Roy said, jumping into action. “I have to get Lian anyways.”

“She woke up when Jason and Dick did. She’s in his office with him.” Dinah said with a smile. Lian had her own bed in one of the spare rooms, and if Jason stayed, he stayed with her. “Damian, Honey, how is your music going?”

“I am still rehearsing my audition piece.” Damian nodded, his eyes lighting up slightly at the topic.

“Well after breakfast we can go upstairs and hear what you have. I still have a spare in the studio.” She said, clearing his empty plate. “Why don’t you go bring this to your brother?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Damian nodded, taking the plate she had piled and heading upstairs.

“I think Tim is still sleeping.” Kon said, watching Damian leave.

“I figured. He sleeps a lot when he gets the chance. Damian knows who I meant.” Dinah nodded. “So tell me about your music. I’d love to hear about it.”

Kon blushed, but he launched into his music career. And Dinah listened, seemed genuinely interested in him.

“I think you have a very smooth country voice.” She said when he was finished, and Kon smiled.

“My manager thinks I should go into pop. He said I can choose a specialty later.” Kon shrugged, seeing Tim and Stephanie stroll into the kitchen.

“Hm.” Dinah nodded. “Either way, you have a very nice voice.” Kon blushed under the praise.

“Don’t get him all flustered, Dinah.” Tim laughed, stepping up beside him. “Can’t keep my hands off him when he gets that way.”

* * *

 

“Don’t you think I should have been there?” Harvey asked when Kon came into the studio the next day.

“Yeah, sorry about that. It was kind of last minute.” Kon rubbed the back of his neck. “Jason just asked me out of nowhere.”

“Just call me next time.” Harvey sighed. “I’m glad you’re making friends in the community. But there’s a clip on youtube of you pulling up your zipper on stage.”

Kon blushed.

“Yeah, that was not my finest moment.” Kon mumbled.

“Well let’s get to working on this some more. We’ve only got a few more songs to do.” Harvey said, waving him into the booth.

* * *

 

Tim and Kon were in bed, cuddling. Kon was fairly certain Tim was almost asleep. The tv was on, but almost silent, and the sounds of Jason in the kitchen could be heard floating through the door.

Tim’s phone binged from where it was charging on the nightstand. Tim reached for it, cracking an eye open to look at it.

Suddenly, he screamed, sitting up straight, and Kon almost fell off the bed.

“Dick!” He shouted, jumping off the bed and running out of the room, still only in his t-shirt and boxer briefs. “Dick!”

“Babe, what the hell?” Kon asked, following him after putting his jeans back on. Tim glanced around the apartment, didn’t see the eldest, took off running up the stairs with Kon on his heels.

“Dick!” Tim shouted. Dick was face down in his bed, arms under his pillow, fast asleep. The blankets were down around his waist, and he was snoring a bit.

Tim ran towards him, jumped onto his bed and back, shaking him and shouting his name.

“What the hell?” Dick asked as he woke up with a jolt, turning over under Tim and trying to cover himself with the blanket. “Tim what is the issue?”

“Look at your phone.” Tim said with a big smile, sitting himself down on Dick’s legs. Dick reached over, grabbed his phone off of the nightstand, checked his text messages. He smiled widely.

“Jay!”

“Why the fuck is everyone yelling? We live in a very open apartment, I can hear everything.” Jason called from the kitchen.

“Because you’re old and hard of hearing.” Damian quipped from the couch.

“Alright, just for that, make your own dinner.” Jason said.

Dick reached down to the floor and grabbed his underwear. Tim sat off to the side while the oldest wiggled into his underwear under the covers, got up, leaned over the side of the railing.

“Wally is coming to visit!” Dick shouted.

“The Wall Man’s coming? We’re gonna party!” Jason said, smile on his face.

“And Bart is coming with him.” Tim said, holding out his phone to show Dick.

Kon blinked. He only knew stories about the two, didn’t know that he and Tim were still even friends.

“And we’re welcoming the most annoying people we know into our home?” Damian asked, and Tim threw one of Dick’s pillows down at him.

“Hey just because you have no friends doesn’t mean we have to suffer.” Jason said.

“I have friends.”

“Friend.”

“Fuck you.” Damian got up from the couch and started towards his room.

“Hey, watch fucking mouth you brat.” Jason reprimanded as Damian slammed his bedroom door.

* * *

 

Kon gave an excuse for not going to the airport. He really did have to work, but could have easily traded shifts for a later time.

But the night before, Tim was staying at the hotel. They hadn’t stayed there in a few days, and Tim wanted to get away for a night before Bart came into town.

“Well after work, come over and we’ll all hang out. You’re going to love Bart, he’s great.” Tim said, getting undressed.

Kon stayed quiet, watching the tv. Tim climbed into bed, blocked his view by crawling into his lap.

“Kon? You okay?” Tim asked, tilting his head.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Kon nodded, and Tim seemed to realize something. “I’m just not so great at the whole meeting new people thing.”

“Conner, you’ll do great. I promise. You met me just fine.” Tim said.

“Babe, I thought you were a girl when we met.” Kon said, not making direct eye contact. “Then you kind of hated me for a while.”

“I didn’t hate you, I thought you were kind of pathetic was all.” Tim said with a smirk. “I actually really liked you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I thought you were so handsome and sweet, probably the most gentlemanly man I’ve ever met.” Tim explained, forcing Kon’s face to look up at him. “And I was so nervous to even let you near me because I had a strict rule about getting close like that with my clients.”

“You think I’m handsome?” Kon asked with a blush.

“You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on next to Chris Evans.” Tim said with a laugh. “I promise, you’ll be just fine with Bart just like you are with Steph and me.”

“Okay.” Kon nodded. “Thanks, Tim. I love you.”

Silence filled the room as the pair processed what was said.

 “Kon-“

“Don’t say anything.” Kon said, eyes wide and face burning. He hadn’t meant for that to slip out. “Don’t acknowledge it.”

Tim blinked, his face softening into a smile.

He leaned in for a kiss, gentle and slow against his lips.

“You look so cute when you’re all flustered like that.” He whispered, leaning in for a deeper kiss. “You wanna?”

Kon didn’t waste time, laying Tim down so he could lean over him, kiss him harder. They immediately started shedding their shirts, and Tim pushed, getting Kon to roll onto his back and climbing back on top of him, sitting on his hips.

Kon pulled back, relaxed against his pillows, and took in Tim’s half-naked body.

And he saw something he had never noticed before.

“You have a tattoo?” Kon asked, his thumb running over his hip bone where color was peeking out. He pulled his underwear down just enough to see a little bird with a ribbon under it that read ‘Timothy’.

“Yeah.” Tim nodded. “We all do.”

“All who?”

“Dick, Jason, Damian, I.” Tim explained. “Dick’s mom called him her little Robin, and because of that, Bruce always called us his little birds.”

“But,” Kon paused, concerned. “You went under a fake name.”

Tim nodded, sighed.

“I used to tell clients that he was a mistake, if they asked. Just someone I was with once upon a time. But a lot of people in the industry belong to someone, and have a name tattooed on them anyways.” Tim explained with another nod.

“It’s really pretty.” Kon said, still staring at the black bird with a red chest, blue flowers behind it, all wrapped up in the ribbon.

“Thank you.” Tim blushed, taking Kon’s hand in his. He leaned down and gave him another kiss.

“You’re pretty cute when you’re flustered yourself.” Kon mumbled against his lips. He moved his hands down his back, grabbed him by the ass and tugged him against his crotch. Tim squeaked, pulling back from the kiss. “Sorry, sorry.” Kon said, moving his hands back up.

“No, it’s okay.” Tim shook his head. “You want to try something new?”

“Uh,” Kon said, face heating up. “I-I’m not sure I’m ready-“

“No, no, not,” Tim shook his head. “Like I said. When you’re ready for that, you can just tell me. I won’t push it. Here, let me.”

Tim worked their underwear off, leaving both of them completely naked. He flopped to his side, motioning for Kon to follow. He leaned in for another kiss, taking Kon in his hand, working him to full hardness.

Kon got up the courage to reciprocate, still not completely used to feeling another man.

“Don’t be nervous, babe.” Tim whispered, looking up at him with dark eyes.

“Sorry.” Kon mumbled.

“Don’t apologize.” Tim laughed. “You’re doing fine.”

Kon nodded, smiled, and felt Tim moving. He released his hold on his cock, and Tim took both of them into his hand, thrusting against him.

Kon moaned.

That was something he hadn’t really felt skin on skin before. And it felt really good.

“Is this okay?” Tim asked, pausing his movements, and Kon nodded, leaning in for another kiss. He reached down, wrapped his hand around Tim’s, started thrusting into their joined hands more rapidly.

Tim groaned, removing his own hand. Kon’s hands were rough and calloused in the best way, and it was a long time since Tim got to do this kind of thing for his own pleasure.

“Kon.” Tim whined, his breath coming quicker.

Kon was big, in more ways than one, and he was broad and strong. Most of the men Tim had been with weren’t as attractive, mostly just wealthy men, older, looking for a sweet young thing with a lot of stamina and a pretty face. They didn’t always care if he got off, and they didn’t always want to do the foreplay.

He didn’t get taken care of like Kon took care of him.

Kon came with a groan, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. Tim blinked, coming out of his own head. Kon’s eyes were still big, blown wide, and he could almost see the gears in his head turning. He pushed Tim onto his back, held his hips down, and leaned down to take him into his mouth.

“Kon-“ Tim started, wanted to tell him he was fine, but Kon was bobbing, doing his best in the unfamiliar territory.

It wasn’t…. _great_. Kon still didn’t really know what he was doing. But it wasn’t killing the mood or anything so Tim tried to guide him as much as he could. He tangled his fingers in his hair, moving his head to a good rhythm. He tried not to thrust, didn’t want to choke him.

Tim used his free hand to try to work himself up, running it through his own hair, tugging it a little, tweaked his nipples, anything he could do to get himself off better.

“Kon, baby, I-I need you,” Tim wracked his brain, didn’t want Kon to do something he wasn’t comfortable with. “Just keep, keep doing that.”

Kon looked up at him through his lashes, started moving a bit quicker. He seemed to get the hint and sucked a bit experimentally, and Tim whined, feeling the pressure building.

“Babe,” He whined, thrusting up once. He could hear Kon gag a bit, tried to keep his hips down and under control.

He came with a moan of relief, Kon sat up quickly, coughing. Tim finished coming up onto his own stomach while his boyfriend recovered.

“Sorry, I should have warned you.” Tim panted, sitting up.

“Dude, how does that turn you on?” Kon asked, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “That feels like throwing up in reverse.”

“Sexy, Kon.” Tim said with a small laugh.

“Sorry. Jeez, I feel like I should apologize now for when you did that.” He said. “I feel like I should call Cassie and apologizing for ever asking her to do that in the first place.”

“Kon, baby, it’s fine.” Tim laughed. “It’s never good the first time. I’ve had years of practice.”

“I’m gonna go rinse my mouth out, hold on.”  Kon scowled, getting up and walking to the bathroom.

Tim grabbed some tissues off the night stand and cleaned up his stomach, which was painted with his own cum and Kon’s. When Kon returned, he layed down on the bed, avoiding the wet spot he had made.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so,” Kon paused, sneering, “repulsed.”

“It’s okay, Kon.” Tim said, propping himself up on his elbow. “I get it. You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.”

“I feel bad because I always get off before you do though.” Kon said, scowling. “It’s uh, it’s really new and hot for me. In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m a virgin again.”

“It’s okay, Kon, I promise.” Tim said with a laugh. “I know the feeling, I get it sometimes too.”

“Really?”

“Well it’s been a long time since I was in an actual relationship.” Tim shrugged. “The sex and stuff I’m used to but all the other stuff, having someone care about me, it’s a little different.”

Kon blinked at him for a moment before leaning in to give him a soft, slow kiss.

“I do care about you.” Kon whispered. “More than I ever thought I would.”

“Oh, Kon-“

“Please don’t say it.” Kon shook his head. “let’s just, uh,” Kon moved, tugging Tim into his arms until they were spooning, his hand on Tim’s chest, feeling his fluttering heart.

“Okay.” Tim nodded, cuddling into his hold.

* * *

 

Kon woke up to an empty bed the next morning. He was still naked, his clothes were still scattered on the floor, and the bed behind him was dry.

Tim must have gone to the airport already.

Kon got up, yawning and stretching. He headed to the bathroom to wash his face and get ready for his morning. He thought about showering but he actually liked his sex head. It looked just messy enough for him to like.

Once he was done with his face, he looked up in the mirror to assess the damage, but something blocked his view.

Across the mirror, in what looked like lipstick, was:

_I love you too ~Tim_

Kon smiled to himself, feeling his heart soar a little bit.

He decided against a shower, ran his fingers through his hair, and didn’t worry about the healing reddish mark on his collar bone that Tim had left a few days prior.

It didn’t need to be hidden. He was in love, the world needed to know.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing with a lot of people is not my strong suit, that's why damian was pretty much silent this whole time. He also didn't go out because he's a child still. Also, I imagine Dick would sleep in Tim's room every night if he could because they would stay up talking. I imagine they got in trouble a lot when they were younger because of that. I'm picturing a 15 year old Dick telling a 10 year old Tim stories and having inside jokes and laughing so hard they get caught by Alfred and told they must sleep separately as Dick has his own bedroom.

Bart was a whirlwind of red hair, rushed speech, and jitters, Kon found.

As he promised, he went to Tim’s apartment after work. He hadn’t even bothered to change, just took off his apron and left.

“Someone’s happy today.” Jason teased, eyes falling to the red mark still poking out from Kon’s fairly stretched out collar.

“It’s been a pretty good day.” Kon shrugged, thinking of the mirror. He hadn’t washed it. Didn’t think he would for a while.

“Well Tim and Bart are in his room if you want to interrupt them.” Jason said, shutting the door behind him. “I’m gonna go make sure Wally and the Beve are alive upstairs.”

Kon’s eyes followed him as he climbed the metal staircase, met with a couple shouts of welcome. He made his way to the bedroom door, was about to go in when he heard laughter.

_“It’s so nice to see you happy again, Tim.”_

_“I am happy. I have so much to catch you up on.”_

_“We can talk all night.”_

_“Kon should be here any minute.”_

Kon took that as his cue and reached a hand up to knock on the door. Before he could however, it was swinging open and Tim was standing in his personal space. He took the arm he was about to knock with and rested it on the door frame.

“Hey.” He said with a smile, ignoring Bart’s giggle from the bed.

“Hey yourself.” Tim said, eyeing him hungrily. “How was your morning?”

“Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.” Kon said, wiggling his eyebrows a bit. Tim stood on his toes, getting in his face, almost close enough to kiss.

The someone cleared their throat.

“Oh, right.” Tim said, taking Kon’s hand in both of his and pulling him along towards the bed. “Bart, I’d like you to meet Conner. My boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you.” Bart shook Kon’s free hand vigorously.

“Yeah, you too.” Kon said with a polite nod. “Tim has told me so much about you.”

“Likewise.” Bart said, sharing a pointed look with Tim, and the raven haired boy stifled a giggle. Kon opened his mouth to speak again when the door to the apartment opened and someone yelled.

“Let’s party it up!”

A couple shouts of ‘Roy’ could be heard echoing through the apartment, and the thunderous steps of the men upstairs came running down, meeting the redhead at the door in a big, group hug. The trio in Tim’s room stepped out into the hall just in time to see the four of them bouncing, chanting something that sounded like a sports team’s warm up, and shoving each other.

“Just like home, right?” Tim asked with a smile, and Bart nodded.

“Like nothing’s changed.” Bart shook his head.

“Hey, good, Conner is here.” Dick said, catching sight of the trio. “Let’s all go out tonight.”

“Oh, we don’t have to-“ Tim started to shake his head, but his brother rushed over to him, pulled him by the arm.

“We absolutely have to. It’s a celebration.” Dick said, spinning him around. “Guys night out. Come on, we haven’t had one of those in forever.”

“Especially with all our guys.” Jason said, clapping a hand on both Roy and Wally’s shoulders.

“I’ll see if Dinah can take Lian.” Roy said, tugging his phone out with a smile.

“I guess we have to get ready.” Tim said, rolling his eyes. He took a few steps to Damian’s door and knocked. “Dames! Get up and put on something nice!”

“Fuck you!” Came the muffled voice through the door.

“I think I woke him up from his nap.” Tim rolled his eyes. “I’m going to hop in the shower. Coming?” Tim raised an eyebrow at Kon, and the taller’s face flushed.

“Uh,”

“No.” Dick said, voice significantly higher.

“Oh, let them shower, Dick. It’ll save hot water for the rest of us.” Jason rolled his eyes, and Kon’s face turned a deeper shade of red.

“We have rules for a reason, Jason.” Dick said, starting towards the stairs.

“He’s 22 years old, rules are meant to be broken.” Jason said, trailing after him. The two red heads looked at each other and shrugged, flopping down on the couch.

“I really don’t have clothes to wear, Tim.” Kon said, tugging at his well-worn t-shirt.

“How about after we shower, the three of us go shopping and get you some nice clothes?” Tim asked. “You always seem to need them here.”

“We?” Kon squeaked. He was still pretty fearful of Dick and his protective glare.

“Oh, don’t worry about him.” Tim rolled his eyes. “We’ll be out in ten, Bart.”

“Sure thing.” Bart nodded and went to join the men on the couch while Tim dragged his slightly terrified boyfriend towards the bathroom.

* * *

 

Once the door was closed, Tim was pushing Kon up against the counter, leaning in to kiss him. He was all heat and tongues and wandering hands.

“Didn’t get enough of me last night?” Kon asked with a smirk. Tim smiled, stepped over to the shower to turn it on.

“I could never get enough of you.” Tim shook his head. He dropped to his knees in front of Kon, making quick work of his belt buckle and zipper.

“Shouldn’t we get in the shower?” Kon asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You can hold onto the counter out here.” Tim said before taking Kon into his mouth, despite the fact that he wasn’t completely hard yet.

Tim did something incredible with his tongue and mouth when he did this. Whatever it was always had Kon trembling, sweating, _wanting._

“Oh god,” Kon groaned, his hand dropping to Tim’s head. The shorter man pulled off for a second, looking up through his long eyelashes.

“You’ve got to be quiet or they’ll hear us.” He said, then leaned back in to continue his work.

Kon did his best to keep his mouth shut, which was hard because everything Tim did made him want to scream. His hips thrust forward into the wet heat of his mouth, keeping in time with the rhythm Tim had set.

He gave Tim a warning tap on the back of his head before he came, hard and fast, down the man’s throat. He had his free hand in a fist in his mouth, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

Whatever Tim did to him, it made him feel like a virgin, _for sure._

“Shower now, yeah?” Tim asked, getting to his feet.

The pair quickly undressed, Tim doing so much sexier and deliberate than Kon’s rushed and awkward tugging of clothes. He watched Tim bend over at the waist and pull his underwear all the way down to his ankles, slipping out of them easily.

That was a view he wanted more often.

Tim took his hand, pulled him into the shower with a sultry smile.

As soon as they were under the warm spray, Kon boxed Tim against the wall, reaching down between them to take his cock in his hands. He was throbbing, leaking, and Kon wanted to see him come undone.

Tim threw his head back against the tile wall as Kon stroked him, breath coming quicker. Kon couldn’t help himself, leaned in and sucked on his collar bone, making a mark to match the fading one that he had.

“Conner,” Tim whined, bucking up into his hand. “Babe, please-“

“What do you need?” Kon asked, his voice husky and rough. Tim whined at the sound of it.

“Could, could you, uh, maybe,” Tim mumbled, glancing down between them, his face flushing with arousal and embarrassment.

“Words, babe.” Kon mumbled against his neck, moving up to tug on his ear lobe with his teeth. Tim moaned, panting.

“Grab me.” Tim said, taking Kon’s free hand and moving it down to his ass. Kon took the hint and squeezed him, trying to tug in tandem with Tim’s thrusts.

Tim ducked his head, reannouncing the mark on Kon’s collar bone. He was breathing hot and heavy against Kon’s neck, and he thought he could go for a second round.

“Conner,” Tim whined, his panting getting louder. Kon captured his lips in a kiss, trying to drown out the noise. The hot water spraying them was helping some, but Tim could drown out a tsunami with the noises he made.

He groaned into Kon’s mouth as he came, trying desperately to catch his breath that seemed to be drawn from him. They pulled back from each other, panting and hot breath against each other.

“I love you, Conner.” Tim whispered, looking up with his glassy eyes.

“I love you too, Tim.”

* * *

 

The three of them quietly slipped out of the apartment without drawing the attention of the eldest in the loft, though Roy and Wally snickered a bit when Tim and Conner emerged from the bathroom.

Shopping. Kon could do shopping.

“You’d look nice in this.” Tim said, handing him a shirt. Kon held it up, examining it.

“Tim, this is see through.” He said.

“I know.”

“Okay, let’s stick to normal for me. You can wear all the see through shirts you want but I like to be covered.” Kon said, putting it back on the rack.

“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Tim asked, looking at a shirt and handing it over the rack to Bart on the other side.

“I don’t think I have one.” Kon shook his head.

“Here, Tim.” Bart said, handing a shirt back over the rack. It was a black button up, and it looked like Kon’s size.

“Actually, that would look really nice on you.” Tim said, holding it up. “Go try this on.” He handed it to Kon and ushered him to the dressing room.

Tim grabbed Bart’s hand and pulled him towards the dressing room as well, into one of the larger changing rooms, giggling.

Kon inwardly groaned as he took off his shirt. It had been like that most of the day, Tim and Bart attached at the hip. He could hear them whispering and giggling beside him and he rolled his eyes.

He wasn’t….. _jealous_ per say, but he sure as hell wasn’t happy about it.

He didn’t look too bad, much to his dismay. He was hoping at least Bart had bad taste, but this shirt looked pretty good on him.

Dammit.

“Kon?” Tim knocked on his door, and Kon opened it, prepared to step out, but instead, Tim stepped in. “You look handsome in that.”

“Thanks.” Kon mumbled.

“Something wrong?” Tim asked, toying with the buttons on the shirt.

“No.” Kon shook his head, but Tim’s eyes softened with that knowing look he always got. He was too smart for that. “I don’t want to talk about it here.”

“Why not?”

“Kind of open, don’t you think?” Kon asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Bart went to look at the jeans, he’ll be over there all day.” Tim said, sitting on the little stool in the corner. “What’s the matter?”

“I just,” Kon took a deep breath. “You and Bart.”

“What about me and Bart?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know.” Kon mumbled.

“Baby, I can’t fix whatever is wrong if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” Tim laughed, getting up to crowd his space.

“I don’t know, it’s stupid.” Kon said, averting his eyes.

“Conner?” Tim asked, turning his head to make eye contact. “Are you jealous?”

“No.” Kon whispered.

“Conner.”

“Alright, yeah, I think so.” He sighed, suddenly feeling claustrophobic.

“Conner, baby, don’t worry.” Tim said, wrapping his arms around his neck. “I love you.”

“I love you too but,” Kon averted his eyes, looking down at Tim’s chest. “I don’t know.”

“Hey, look at me.” Tim said, and Kon did as he was told. “Bart is my friend, nothing more. I promise you. I just miss him, is all. It’s been a long time since we saw each other. If it makes you feel better, all he’s wanted to hear is about you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. He’s my best friend, he wants all the details.” Tim laughed. “Now let’s get you out of this so we can buy it.”

* * *

 

Guys night out was more fun than Kon expected. Everyone, except Roy, was drinking to their hearts content. Bart and Wally were having a competition to see who could get more phone numbers, and Bart’s cute face seemed to be winning.

Tim and Dick were on the dance floor. There was a slow song every so often, and currently the DJ was playing ‘I’ll make love to you’ and the two of them jumped at the chance to dance with each other.

Kon was seated at the bar between an energized Bart and a slightly pouting Wally.

“Dick sure does love his brothers.” Bart said, thumbing through the napkins he had. He had no intention of using all the phone numbers, but one or two of the girls he met seemed really nice, and he hoped they could be friends.

“Yeah, he does.” Kon nodded.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Tim that happy.” Bart said, taking a sip of his drink. Tim was laughing, being swayed back and forth. “Not since he was with Stephanie.”

“Really?” Kon asked, turning to look at him.

“He doesn’t let himself be happy, honestly. It takes another person sometimes.” Bart shrugged, waving to one of the girls he had been talking to as she passed.

Kon stared at the pair on the floor. The song was ending, and Dick was still swaying, his arms wrapped around his little brother’s neck so tight that Tim’s face was right in his shoulder. Tim didn’t seem to mind though, laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Have they always been like that?”

“Ever since I could remember. Even before Tim’s parent’s died, he spent a lot of time at his dad’s company, and Dick loved showing him around.” Bart explained. “He’s going to be a great dad.”

Kon nodded, not really comprehending the thought.

He really could take some lessons from Dick. He still had time to fix things with Jon.

* * *

 

Later, once they all had enough of the loud music and booze, they partially stumbled their way to the apartment. Roy was the only fully sober one in the bunch, though Kon had just stuck to his normal beer so he wasn’t as tipsy as everyone else.

“Thanks for taking care of me, Dick.” Tim mumbled, draped across Dick’s back in a piggy back hold. He declared he didn’t want to walk up the stairs, and before Kon could offer, Dick jumped at the chance.

“Any time.” Dick said with a smile.

“Water, anyone?” Jason asked as he sauntered to the kitchen. He took a few bottles out of the fridge and tossed one to Wally and one to Dick, who caught it with ease.

“He’s going to need this.” Dick said, passing the bottle to Kon. He gently let Tim down on the floor, and the shorter man stumbled over to his boyfriend, pressing himself against his chest.

“You’re hot, let’s go have sex.” Tim said with a giggle. Everyone else in the room fell silent, staring at the two while Kon’s face flushed.

“That’s not happening.” Kon shook his head, glancing at everyone else, hoping they got the message that it was not happening at all. Ever. They never had sex, he hoped they could read his mind.

“You’re no fun.” Tim pouted. Kon sighed, picking him up and tossing him over his shoulder.

“I think you should sleep this off.” He said, heading towards the bedroom. He could hear someone following, though who he wasn’t sure.

“No way, I’m not tired.” Tim protested. Kon flopped him down onto the bed, and he curled into a little happy ball, giggling at the movement.

“Here, have some water.” Kon tried, holding the bottle out for him.

“You drink it.” Tim said, pushing it back.

“Tim, drink.” Kon looked up at Dick was beside the bed, raising an eyebrow. “It’s good for you.”

“Ugh, fine.” Tim rolled his eyes, but he took the water bottle anyways and drank most of it. “There, happy?”

“Very.” Dick nodded. “Now let’s lay down, okay? The older man got into bed, motioning for Tim to rest how he would sleep.

“I don’t want to.” Tim said, but let Dick roll him onto his side anyways.

“I know you don’t.” Dick said, pulling the blanket up over him. “Just do this for me, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” Tim grumbled, and once his head hit the pillow, he seemed to fall into a deep slumber.

“How did you do that?” Kon whispered, watching Dick gently brush his hair back.

“That’s just how he works.” Dick shrugged. “You’ve gotta learn if you’re going to be around for the long haul.” He started to lay down too, but Jason appeared in the door way.

“Richard Grayson.” He hissed, and Dick turned. “Let the boys sleep.”

“I was just-“

“He’ll be alright, he drank his water, he’ll sleep for a good 18 hours. Conner is here, he can handle it.”

Dick glanced down at the younger man in the bed, scowling.

“Yeah, okay.” He grumbled, getting up to follow Jason.

“You’ve got to cut the cord, Dick.” Jason said as Dick passed him. “He’s a big boy.”

“But he’s still so young yet.” Dick lamented, heading for the stairs. Jason stayed, leaning out the door to watch the oldest heading up the stairs.

“He’s just a little attached is all, don’t worry about him.” Jason said with an eyeroll, turning to leave.

“Jason?” Kon asked. Jason turned back, eyebrow up in question.

“How, uh, how do you guys have such a good relationship with each other?” He asked quietly.

“Where’s this coming from?”

“I just, I guess I never thought brothers could really, I mean, my brother and I-“ Kon stammered, and Jason nodded slowly.

“Let’s talk about this over breakfast tomorrow, okay? We’ll both be a little more sober by then.” Jason suggested, and Kon nodded eagerly. “Alright. Good night. Make sure he stays asleep.”

He flicked off the lights, leaving only the lamp on, and shut the door on his way out.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Tada! Jon! I imagine they don't get along very well for a number of reasons, but mostly being separated for so long. Also, they know who favorites who, probably resent each other for it.

Kon wasn’t fully awake when the light turned on, and Tim had hardly moved all night. He sat up, squinting in the light, and saw Jason walking in with a tray of food.

“Oh good, you’re wearing clothes.” He said as he shut the door behind him.

“What time is it?” Kon asked, looking over Tim at the clock. 9 a.m. “Wow, I slept late.”

“Well 9 is early in this house but you’re used to farm time, right?” Jason asked, sauntering over to the bed and squeezing himself in on the other side of Tim to sit.

“Usually. I get up at 7 at the latest.” Kon nodded, taking one of the glasses of orange juice and taking a sip.

“So you still want to talk about what you brought up last night?” Jason asked.

“Yeah.” Kon nodded again. “I see how close Tim and Dick are and I know my brother and I will probably never be that close but maybe I can do something about it.”

“Well Timmy here is Dick’s baby. Always has been.” Jason scoffed. “He always worries about him. Growing up he worried if Tim would make friends at school, worried if he would get bullied, worried if he was sleeping enough. All legitimate worries because this kid had one friend, pulled all-nighters on a regular basis, and the pricks at school never left him along.”

“Really?”

“That, among other reasons, is why he went through the process to graduate early and leave home. Dick also worries because he’s so independent. He insists on doing everything on his own, even though we’re all here to help.” Jason shrugged. “We didn’t tell him to get a job, he decided he wanted one on his own. Which led to the worry we all had about Tim selling himself.”

“You were worried?”

“Of course. He grew up so fast, he had a lot of innocence lost at a young age. I think that’s why Dick frets over him so much, wants to preserve whatever innocence is left.” Jason explained. “I mean, he frets over Damian too, but in a different way.”

“I don’t really worry about my brother.” Kon shook his head. “Kids at school love him, my parents love him.”

“No two families are the same.” Jason shook his head. “Honestly, start by calling him. It’s amazing what a phone call out of the blue can do.”

“Thanks, Jason.” Kon nodded, reaching for a piece of toast. “Means a lot.”

“No problem. We all need guidance from someone older now and then.” Jason shrugged as he got up.

“Even you?”

“No, I’m forty years old inside.” He said with a small nod before leaving the room.

* * *

 

Call. He could do that.

Except he didn’t.

He couldn’t think of anything to say.

Other than ‘Hey, I’m dating a dude’ but he didn’t think that he was ready for that.

“You’re phone went off while you were in the shower.” Tim said. He was seated on Kon’s bed, comparing a few pieces of paper. He had started slowly working on WE stuff again, seemed content to have a purpose of sorts, career wise.

Today Bart and Wally were going out sight-seeing, so Tim didn’t have to entertain anyone.

Kon padded barefoot to his night stand where his phone was charging. He had a towel tied around his waist, and he could feel Tim’s eyes on him, but he ignored it for the little message that popped up.

_Jon: Hey, you busy right now?_

Kon blinked and blinked, but it didn’t vanish. It was a real message. It wasn’t a figment of his imagination.

Oh dear.

“You alright?” Tim asked, and Kon finally turned his head, though his eyes didn’t stray from the message.

“Yeah, uh, sorry, just a text from my brother.” Kon shook his head, finally unlocking his phone and going to the green icon with the little red dot.

_Not really, whats up?_

He took a deep breath and set the phone back down, going to get himself dressed.

“Is he okay?” Tim asked, setting his papers down.

“I guess so.” Kon shrugged, dropping his towel and grabbing a pair of boxer briefs out of the drawer. He knew Tim was watching him, he didn’t have to be a detective. He wiggled into his jeans and belt, tossed on a plain black t-shirt, and was about to slip a flannel over it when his phone buzzed again.

The two turned to stare at it, as though they had never seen a phone before, both wide eyed and not sure who would grab it first.

Turns out Kon did, though he didn’t remember moving.

_Jon: I’m at Ma and Pa’s, just set up their new computer. Skype?_

Kon furrowed his brows. Ma and Pa never had a computer, though Kon did for school. He always figured when he moved out that they would continue to happily live in the 50s together.

_Sure. Give me a few_

“You look pale.” Tim said. “You sure you’re alright?”

“Jon, he wants to skype me.” Kon said, heading for the table where his laptop was. He flopped down in the chair, not entirely ready to do this.

“Did you want me to leave?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, no you’re fine there. It won’t take long I hope.” Kon shook his head, forced his computer open, felt like he was wrenching Krypto’s mouth open with how reluctant his hands felt.

It booted up, and once he logged in, he opened his skype application. He had a new request contact request from ‘Ma&PaKent’ awaiting his approval. Once he approved it, it only took a minute for the desktop to start ringing.

He took a deep breath and answered it.

A slightly pixilated image of his little brother appeared on the screen. He was at a desk that used to just hold mail and an old address book, nestled in the corner of the living room. He could see the empty room behind him, save for the dog snoozing on his bed beside the couch.

“Hey.” Jon said with a small wave. He was in a similar style of dress, plaid shirt over a grey t-shirt, brown hair a mop on top of his head. He was still looking scrawny, obviously taking after their mother in build.

“Hey.” Kon waved back, trying his best to smile but he was sure it didn’t look right.

“Ma wanted me to set this all up so they could skype with you.” Jon said with a shrug. “Thought I’d test it out.”

“Yeah, that’s cool.” Kon nodded. “How are they?”

“Oh, they’re fine. Out right now, picking up some groceries. I’m just here for a few days to visit.” Jon shrugged again. “School starts again soon.”

“Already?” Kon asked, raising an eyebrow. His brother would be going into his senior year. “Didn’t it just end?”

“You’ve been out there for like three months now, dude.” Jon said, mirroring his facial expression. “By the way, Mom and Dad say hi.”

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to call them.” Kon scowled. He really had, wanted to keep in touch with his mother.

His father not so much.

“Mom says she misses you. She had a really good time out there with you.” Jon said. “Maybe next time I’ll go with her.”

“That’d be cool.” Kon said.

“Ow! Son of a bitch!”

Kon’s attention was suddenly drawn to the other person in the room, who had dropped his papers and was bringing his finger up to his mouth, sucking a bit on whatever paper cut he had just received.

“Who was that?” Jon asked.

“Tim, you okay?” Kon asked, ignoring the boy on the screen.

“Yeah, just a paper cut.” Tim grumbled. “You have bandaids?”

“Nuh uh.” Kon shook his head. “Need me to go get some?”

“No, I’ll go see if they have any at the front desk. Be right back.” Tim said, examining his finger as he walked out the door.

“Conner?” Jon asked. “Who was that?”

“Sorry, that was my friend Tim.” Kon shook his head, pulling himself back to the conversation at hand.

“Oh yeah, Mom said you had a couple friends out there.” Jon said, perking up a bit. “She said you and Cassie broke up too. What happened?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, honestly.” Kon shrugged. “I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine now.” Kon shrugged again. He wasn’t very good at holding a conversation, and was tempted to fake technical difficulties to get out of it.

“Well good.” Jon nodded, and the two lapsed into awkward silence for a moment.

“So who are you seeing now?” Jon asked, blinking at the camera.

“Huh?”

“Mom and Grandma said you were seeing someone new. I heard them talking on the phone.” Jon said, and Kon groaned inwardly at the naturally curious nature of their family.

“Yeah, I am.” Kon nodded, scrubbing a hand over his face. He wasn’t ready for this. He could already feel his throat tightening, a new development as of late since he never cried.

But Tim was just so life changing that his mind was still trying to handle it.

“So who is she? Some big celebrity?” Jon asked with a laugh, and Kon took a deep breath. Jon’s laughter faded when he saw the serious look on his brother’s face. “She’s not pregnant, is she?”

“No, that’s uh, that’s not possible.” Kon shook his head, glancing up as the door opened and closed again. Tim strode in, now had a bandage around his finger, and started picking up his discarded papers.

“So why so serious?” Jon asked, raising an eyebrow. Kon took a shaky breath, made eye contact with Tim over the computer screen.

“I’m not dating a girl.” Kon shook his head, closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see what Jon looked like.

“What?” Jon asked.

“Tim, could you, uh,” Kon mumbled, glancing up at him. Tim smiled, strode over to the computer, tiny pony tail and all. He leaned around Kon bending over to be in the camera’s view. “This is Tim. He’s my boyfriend.”

Jon didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared, blinked, furrowed his brows.

He didn’t even get the chance to say anything before Krypto barked, bounded towards the kitchen. Ma and Pa’s voices could be heard, laughing at something.

“Ma and Pa are home.” Jon said, glancing behind him. “Maybe I should let you go.”

“Jon, wait.” Kon said, sitting up straight.

“They might need help with the groceries.” Jon said. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Jon-“

But the boy had hung up.

Kon took a deep breath, slumped in his chair.

“Conner, Honey, are you okay?” Tim asked, crouching down beside the chair.

“That could have gone a lot better.” Kon sighed, his head leaning back against the back of the chair.

* * *

 

Tim was in the shower now, while Kon reclined on the bed. He had his laptop open beside him, had been answering a few emails from Harvey and a taking care of a couple business things. He wished he were famous enough for an assistant, email was the worst.

The TV was playing reruns of friends when his laptop suddenly stated ringing again.

Ma&PaKent

Kon blinked at it, but his answer anyways.

He had expected it to be Ma and Pa, but there was Jon, sitting at the same desk.

“I talked to Ma.” He said abruptly. “She said she wants to talk to you and told me to call you on the video phone.”

Kon couldn’t help but snort a little at their grandparents.

“So is that why you and Cassie broke up?” Jon asked quietly, and Kon blinked.

“No, that’s not why.” He shook his head. “It’s all very complicated, but Cassie did break up with me before I even met Tim.”

“What changed?” Jon asked, glancing off to the side. Kon heard Krypto’s collar jingle as he scratched himself.

“Nothing.” Kon shook his head, heard how stupid it sounded. “Everything. I’m still the same person. And I’m still attracted to girls. But I really like Tim. I hope you can understand that.”

“Of course I can, I’m not stupid.” Jon rolled his eyes and glared. “Why though?”

“I don’t know.” Kon shook his head. “I really don’t.”

“So does this mean you’re gay?” Jon asked, raising an eyebrow. Kon thought, knew that Dick had said a couple of different words to describe it.

“I think it means I’m bi?” Kon asked, not entirely sure himself. “I guess I’ve just never found another guy I liked before.”

“Isn’t it weird?”

“It was kind of at first.” Kon nodded. “But now that I’m used to it and more comfortable with it, not really.”

“Isn’t it a sin?” Jon asked quietly, eyes not looking at the camera.

“I thought so.” Kon sighed. “But I talked to Ma about it. She said it’s who I am, and who I am is never wrong.”

“So you’re not going to burn in hell?” Jon mumbled. Kon laughed.

“No, I don’t think so.” He said, looking up when he saw Tim emerge from the bathroom, leaning on the wall just outside of it.

“I’m glad you found someone that you like, Conner.” Jon said, looking back as Ma walked out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, me too.” Kon smiled over at Tim, who returned the gesture.

* * *

 

“I promise, Ma. We’ll come visit you.” Kon said. He was still lying in bed, Tim beside him now, and Ma had reprimanded him for not calling her.

“You better. I’d like to meet you in person, Tim.” Ma said.

“You will, Ma. But it’s getting late. I have to work in the morning.” Kon explained, glancing at his clock. It wasn’t that late, but a little white lie didn’t hurt.

“Of course.” Ma nodded. “Tim, you be safe going home. Have Conner call you a cab.” Ma said.

“Oh, I’m not-“ Tim started to say, but Kon stopped him with a sharp grasp on his thigh.

“He has a car here, Ma, and a driver. Don’t worry.” Kon said, trying to keep his boyfriend quiet.

Just because they weren’t a sin themselves doesn’t mean they weren’t living in sin and Ma didn’t need to know.

“Well good. I love you very much, Dear.” Ma said.

“I love you too, Ma.”

“I’m going up to get ready for bed. Jonathan, you say good night to your brother. You have some early work in the morning.” She said, but punctuated it with a kiss on the younger’s cheek.

“Farm work is great isn’t it?” Kon asked.

“Well someone has to do it since you’re not here.” Jon scowled. “Besides, I got a D in math last year. Mom says farm work is my punishment.”

“Better be getting those grades up, young man.” Kon said, mocking their mother. He knew exactly how she scolded, had been on the receiving end of it enough.

“Ha ha, funny.” Jon snarled. “Say it again and I’ll tell Grandma you’re living in sin. Then you’ll get the lecture.”

“Don’t you dare.” Kon warned. “Just do what Ma says and get some sleep. You’ll need it.”

“Whatever, at least I get pie tomorrow.” Jon said with a smirk. “Night, Conner.”

“Night, Jonno.” Kon said, and the call ended, screen turning from black to the white of the skype screen.

“So we’re living in sin, huh?” Tim asked, curling into Kon’s side as he set the laptop on the night stand. “That sounds like fun.”

“It’s only fun if you don’t get caught.” Kon laughed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be warned: Sex. Full blown, first time sex. I wanted to keep this it's own chapter, so really if you didn't want to read it, you could skip it, in theory. 
> 
> Also, Stephanie is the queen of peer pressure.

Kon could hear them. He always had really good hearing, Ma called them ‘Mom Ears’. His Mom called them a ‘journalist’s ear’.

He was taking a shower, listening to Bart, Tim, and Steph in his room on the other side of the shower wall.

 _“You two still haven’t had sex yet?”_ Steph asked.

 _“We’re taking things slow.”_ Tim defended. _“Kon’s never been with a guy before, it’s all new to him.”_

_“It’s been like two months, Tim. How long are you going to wait?”_

_“As long as it takes for Kon to be comfortable.”_

_“What if he’s never comfortable?  I mean, first times are never comfortable, they’re terrifying.”_ Bart chimed in.

 _“I know that.”_ Tim sighed.

_“Have you two even done anything?”_

_“Of course we have. We’ve done pretty much everything leading up to it, just never got that far.”_

_“Then it’s not that much of a jump.”_ Stephanie explained.

_“Steph that’s a huge jump. My first time with a guy wasn’t comfortable at all, I couldn’t walk the next day.”_

_“But you’re used to being a bottom by now. How different is it for him to fuck a guy versus a girl?”_

_“Yeah, who says he has to be the one bottoming?”_ Bart asked.

_“I guess. We haven’t really talked about it.”_

“ _You should talk about it. It’s important.”_ Bart suggested.

 _“I know. You guys are right, I just don’t want to seem like I’m pressuring him.”_ Tim sighed again.

 _“No, but you have needs too. I know you, you like being a bottom too much.”_ Stephanie said, and Bart laughed.

_“Okay, true, but I can deal with it. It’s not like I need to be fucked to get off, I can get off other ways.”_

_“Yeah, but for how long until it’s not enough?”_ Stephanie asked.

 _“I’m sorry, Dick always told me to ignore peer pressure.”_ Tim scoffed. _“Look, I’ll talk to him, okay?”_

“ _Go do it now.”_

_“What?”_

_“Go strip and hop in the shower with him.”_

_“I feel like it makes the conversation worse if we’re naked.”_

_“Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne, I will shove you into that shower.”_

_“No! Peer pressure!”_ Tim giggled, and suddenly the bathroom door was opening and closing. “Steph! You suck!”

“Tim?” Kon asked, pulling back the curtain a bit. He couldn’t see super well without his glasses or contacts, but there was no denying that it was Tim.

“Sorry, Stephanie decided I should take a shower with you.” Tim said, pulling his shirt off.

“I heard. Don’t worry, I’m done anyways. Hold on.” Kon pulled himself back into the shower and shut it off. He climbed out, toweling himself off and wrapping the damp towel around his waist.

“You heard?” Tim asked, seeming to deflate slightly.

“Yeah.” Kon nodded, putting on his fogged up glasses.

It’s not like he hadn’t thought about it. He thought about it all the time. He knew, logically, the only difference really was that with Tim, he’d need to use lubricant. But even the thought of that kind of scared him because what if he didn’t use enough? What if he used too much and they slipped right off the bed?

With Cassie it had been easy. He learned about it in sex-ed. This part fits in this part, use a condom so you don’t have a baby or STDs. They didn’t learn about how two men or two women have sex.

There were so many questions he had up in the air. If he was on top, did he have to get Tim ready? How did he even do that? How does that even feel? Did he want to find out? What if he was bad at it?

“Conner, what are thinking?” Tim asked, looking up at him.

“I’m thinking,” Kon took a deep breath. “That I’m terrified.”

“See, that’s what I told them, I don’t want to seem like I’m pressuring you or-“

“Tim.” Kon said firmly. “I want to, with you.”

“Really?” Tim whispered, looking down at his chest, resting his hands on his abs.

“But I have no clue what I’m doing.” Kon shook his head. “I’m pretty much just winging everything.”

“I know.” Tim nodded with a small smile. “How about tomorrow night after we drop Bart and Wally off at the airport, I come back here and we can talk, alright?”

“Yeah,” Kon nodded, his stomach fluttering.

* * *

 

Kon didn’t go to the airport, had to work in the café. But he also wanted to make sure his room was suitable for this.

Cassie used to tell him he was a bit of a romantic, liked when he would bring her daisies and roses from the garden. She liked when he would light all the candles he could find in the loft of the barn and they would slow dance together.

Did Tim like any of those things?

What if he thought romance like that was cheesy?

They didn’t have a lot of romantic sexual encounters, it was mostly hot, sweaty, _needy_.

It made Kon’s head spin.

He settled for a nicely made bed, a couple of flowers in a vase, and a candle on the nightstand.

Then he played the waiting game.

He wanted to sit on the bed, but didn’t want to mess it up. It looked so neat.

Kon moved himself to the table and chair in the corner, scrolled through some of his social media. He wished he had someone to talk to about his nerves, but he didn’t really have friends he was close enough with to talk to about it. He only ever talked to Tim.

Suddenly, he heard the keycard reader in the door whir, and the door was opening. He had given the second keycard to Tim, who was now standing in the open doorway, surveying the room.

Maybe Kon had put a couple rose petals on the bed too.

_Maybe._

Suddenly, Tim laughed, a purely innocent giggle that made Kon’s gut twist.

He thought this was cheesy. Kon was just going to jump out the window.

“Did you do all this for me?” Tim asked, his giggles subsiding.

“I, uh, maybe?” Kon said, shutting his laptop.

“You’re so sweet.” Tim smiled over at him. He set the bag he had been carrying on the entertainment center and walked around the bed, sitting down on it. “Come sit with me.”

Kon remembered his actual first time with Cassie, and his legs were just as wobbly now as they were then. They were still just teenagers, young and stupid and in love. They decided to have a romp in the hay, literally, and Kon was pulling straw out of their hair for an hour afterwards.

“Okay. Ask me any question you want.” Tim said once Kon finally got to the bed.

“I don’t even know where to start.” Kon shook his head. “What do I ask?”

“Whatever you’re curious about.” Tim shrugged, taking his hand.

“I-I guess, just, what do I do?” Kon asked, looking down at his lap, picking at a loose string on the hem of his shirt.

“Whatever you want to do, Kon.” Tim laughed. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“No, I want to.” Kon nodded. “I just don’t know how.”

“Why don’t we just start, and if you have questions or feel uncomfortable with anything, we can stop. Okay?” Tim asked, and Kon nodded again. He wasn’t so great with his words, and maybe once they got started, he would be able to figure it out.

They started with a chaste kiss, and Kon felt like he couldn’t relax enough. He let Tim push him gently down onto the bed, tried to melt back into the pillows, but felt stiff as a board.

“Kon, are you sure you want to do this?” Tim asked, pulling back a bit. “You’re really tense.”

“I’m sure.” Kon nodded, toying with Tim’s t-shirt. “I’m just really nervous, I’m sorry.”

“How about I help you relax?” Tim asked, sitting up. Without waiting for an answer, he started to undo Kon’s belt. Kon lifted his hips as his jeans were pulled down his legs, tossed off of the bed.

The shorter man trailed kisses across his thighs, which sent a small, excited jolt through his stomach. Tim worked his way up, skipping over the section covered by boxer briefs, and pushing his shirt up. He kissed his abs, then his chest, and soon he was pushing the shirt off completely.

Tim moved to his chest, took a nipple between his teeth. Kon arched up, finding that the sensation was both really hot and slightly painful. The good kind of pain. He didn’t know there was a good kind of pain.

He let out a breathy exhale when Tim grabbed him through his shorts. He could do this. This was normal and comfortable.

Tim sat up to take his own shirt off, his pale chest flushed pink. At least Kon knew they were both enjoying it.

“Wait, Tim?” Kon asked before Tim could lean down again.

“Hm?” Tim asked, blinking his eyes owlishly.

“How do we,” Kon scowled, trying to find the right words. “I guess, how do I, um, I mean, don’t we have to, uh-“

“Kon?” Tim asked, slight smile on his face. “Don’t be nervous. Just follow my lead, okay?”

“Right.” Kon nodded dumbly, watched Tim undo his jeans and take them off. He leaned down and mouthed at Kon’s cock through his pants.

Now they were getting down to the nitty gritty, and Kon was getting nervous again.

He let Tim work him up, tease him. He had been so hot and passionate with Cassie, it was easy.

Well, not _easy_.

He had to take the truck out of town to one of the neighboring towns to buy condoms from the corner store. He was terrified he’d run into someone he knew, a teacher, a fellow student, his _preacher_. Or worse, run into someone who would tell Ma and Pa that they’re grandson was buying a box of condoms.

And when it came to the actual deed, they had just done it. It didn’t require much thinking, thankfully. Though it didn’t last as long as he had expected, it was good, and felt right.

Though he did actually _pray_ that night before bed, which he usually didn’t do. Knew he did something he probably shouldn’t have.

He was 19. He had a lot of hormones. And a lot of pent up sexual energy.

Hell, back then, he could get hard just cuddling on the couch with Cassie while watching a movie.

“Get out of your head there, farm boy.” Tim said, and Kon looked down at him.

They were both completely naked.

“Uh, sorry.” Kon shook his head, stared at Tim’s own naked body. He had muscles, slim ones but they were there. And they were so handsome. “You look so sexy.”

“You do too, Kon.” Tim nodded, eyes roving over him. “Okay, are you ready?”

“What are you going to do?”

“Hold on.” Tim said, getting up and retrieving the bag he had brought in, dumping it onto the bed.

A box of condoms and lube.

“Uh,” Kon blinked. “Okay, I’m uncomfortable.”

“Don’t worry.” Tim chuckled. “I guess the first thing we need to talk about is if you want to bottom or top.”

“I uh, I don’t think I’m ready to bottom.” Kon shook his head. “I’ll top, I think.”

“Okay.” Tim nodded, grabbing the lube and climbing up on the bed again, until they were lying side by side.

“What do I do now?” Kon asked, feeling the fear creeping into his stomach.

“You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with okay?” Tim asked, and Kon nodded. “It’s been a couple months since I’ve had sex, so I need to prepare myself. You can help if you want, just let me know.”

“Right.” Kon nodded again and watched as Tim uncapped the lube, put a little bit onto his fingers.

It wasn’t like anything he’d ever really seen before. Tim gently pushed two of his fingers into himself, sighing, letting his head fall back against the pillows. He gently worked himself, his cock leaking against his stomach. Kon reached for it, giving it a few stroked, still intrigued by what he was doing.

He took his other hand and reached down, gently stopping Tim’s hand and replacing the fingers with his own.

Fingering. He could do that.

“Up a little higher.” Tim said, slightly breathless. Kon listened, moved his fingers up some. “Right there. Press there.”

Kon did as he was told, and Tim moaned.

He kept doing that, following Tim’s orders when they were necessary, working his cock at the same time.

“Okay, I’m good.” Tim nodded, batting the hand on his cock away. “Do you want to be on top or did you want me on top?”

“Uh,” Kon blinked. “I guess I’ll be on top.”

“Okay.” Tim nodded again. “Go ahead and put some lube on yourself. You can wear a condom if you want to, but I just want you to know I’m clean.”

“What?” Kon asked, blinking.

“I get tested for any kind of STD regularly, and I’m clean.” Tim said. “So if you don’t want to use a condom, you don’t have to.  But it’s up to you.”

Kon pursed his lips, thinking.

“I mean, wouldn’t it be cleaner?” Kon asked with a grimace.

“Uh,” Tim blushed, “I mean, I prepared for that too. I cleaned up before I came over.”

“Oh.” Kon blinked. He reached across the bed for the condoms anyways, opened them with shaking hands. Once he felt ready, he put a little bit of lube on his cock and leaned over Tim. The shorter man hooked a calf around his thigh, smiled up at him.

“Are you ready?” Tim asked softly.

Kon nodded. He reached down, leaned himself up, and pushed in.

He thought for sure he was going to come right away.

It had been a long time since he actually fucked someone like this, and he could feel the wait in his dick, felt his orgasm building quickly.

Tim moaned under him, nails digging into his back.

“Harder, baby.” Tim panted, reaching down to stroke himself.

“I can’t babe.” Kon shook his head, felt already that he was getting close. He didn’t used to have a short fuse, at least he thought, but it’d been too long, and he was too pent up.

“It’s okay.” Tim nodded, pushing his ass back against Kon’s pelvis. “Just keep going.”

Kon nodded and thrusted a bit harder, watched Tim squirm underneath him. His hand worked quickly, trying desperately to work himself to completion.

Kon was holding his breath, the anticipation too much for him. He felt himself releasing, and panted out hard breath after hard breath as his hips jerked and he came.

But to his surprise, Tim was shouting out and coming up onto his own chest, similar state of breathlessness.

They lay there together for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath.

“Was that okay?” Kon asked, rolling to the side, pulling out of Tim’s body.

“That was incredible.” Tim nodded, curling into his side. “Was it okay for you?”

Kon thought for a minute.

“That was,” He took a deep breath. “That was the best I’ve ever had.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So to preface, Clark and his sons are very similar in that none of them deal with emotion well. But are also very sensitive. It's just a kent thing. Also, This chapter was so sad for me to write. It'll get better!

Kon woke up the next morning to someone knocking on his bedroom door. He still felt incredibly blissed out and drowsy, and thought about just ignoring whoever it was all together.

They stayed up talking, for hours, after they made love, and it just made him love Tim more, which he didn’t think was even possible.

He carefully untangled himself from Tim’s grip. His lover, _they were lovers now_ , gripped for a pillow to take his place, pretending it was still Kon’s broad chest.

Kon smiled, pulled on his pajama pants, and headed for the door.

He was still smiling when he opened the door, though it faded when he came face to face with his worst nightmare.

His family.

Standing in the hallway was his grandparents, his parents, and his little brother.

“Surprise!” His mom said, her eyes lighting up and her smile growing.

“Wh-what are you guys doing here?” Kon asked, his heart sinking. He had to get them out.

“Well we wanted to see you before Jon had to go back to school, so instead of flying him home, we all flew out here.” Lois explained, looking beyond excited.

“Hug your mother.” Ma scolded, and Kon laughed nervously, did what she said.

He had to get them out. Before they saw the mostly naked man in his bed. Even though most of them knew he was seeing someone, he didn’t want them to know that they were actually sleeping together.

But a phone inside rang.

And not his phone.

Tim answered it with a groggy ‘hello?’ and Kon saw his mother’s eyes go wide, his father’s eyebrows furrow.

“What do you mean the baby wants me?” Tim asked, and his dad opened his mouth to say something. Kon cringed. The blankets shuffled inside the room, and Tim got up.

“Oh shit, alright, give me 20 minutes.” Tim said, and hung up. “Kon, I’ve got to go, I promised Damian-“

Kon turned and watched Tim wiggle into his jeans, pausing when he saw the crowd at the door.

“Uh,” He blinked.

“Conner?” Clark asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Dad, it’s not-“ Kon tried, but sighed in defeat. He instead turned to address the man in the room. “Tim?”

“I promised Damian I’d take him to see Dinah today so he could practice his piece. But I can push it back if-“

“No, go. I’m sure Damian is waiting.” Kon said, stepping aside to let him through the door. Tim looked torn, but nodded. He pulled on his shirt and headed out the door.

“Call me later, okay?” He said, turning around as he left, giving Kon a pointed look, coaxing him to nod. Once he was satisfied, he turned and took off running towards the stairs.

“Maybe we should have called first.” Lois mumbled, looking up at her son, apologetic.

“What’s going on here Conner?” Clark asked, eyes following as Tim turned a corner at the end of the hall. “Who was that?”

Kon thought about lying, he really did. They were just friends who slept in the same bed together. Naked.

It was no use.

“That was Tim. He’s my, uh, my friend.” Kon mumbled, but his dad didn’t look convinced. “He’s my boyfriend, Dad.”

“Your boyfriend?” Clark asked, eyebrows flying up in surprise. He turned to look at Lois, but she was biting her lip, avoiding eye contact. “You knew.”

“Clark-“

“You told your mother but neither of you told me?” He asked, looking between the two of them.

“Honey, it’s not like that-“ Lois tried to step forward, but Kon was holding onto her for dear life.

“It’s not a big deal, Dad.” Jon shrugged, and Clark almost got whiplash with how quickly he turned to his youngest.

“You knew too, didn’t you?” He asked, and Jon, ever the honest one, nodded.

“So did everyone know that Conner has a boyfriend but me?” Clark asked, looking around at his family. Everyone avoided his eye.

“Got it.” He nodded, and he turned towards the stairs.

“Clark?” Lois called, trying to reach for him, but Kon kept his hold on her.

“Mom?” He asked quietly, his bottom lip trembling, though he was trying his best to keep it together.

“Oh, Honey, he’s not mad at you, just,” Lois shook her head. “Go ahead inside, alright? I’ll go talk to your dad.”

Kon sniffed and nodded. Lois gave him a quick hug before she turned to run after her husband, calling his name.

“Let’s go sit down, okay?” Ma asked, ushering her boys into the room.

* * *

 

Kon was sitting on his bed with Ma, Pa and Jon at the little table in the corner.

“He’s just upset because he was kept out of the loop.” Ma said, rubbing Kon’s arm. “He’ll get over it, baby.”

“Yeah, you know how dad gets with surprises.” Jon added.

Kon was trying his best not to get upset, but his fear and sadness was quickly turning to anger.

“I just talked to you the other day, why didn’t you warn me?” Kon growled, glaring at Jon.

“How was I supposed to know he’d be here?” Jon scoffed, and Kon got up, roughly grabbed his brother by his shirt collar and pulled him up.

“You’re dead.” He growled, and Jon snarled back at him.

“Conner Joseph Kent, put your brother down.” Ma scolded, getting up to tug the oldest back. “Hurting him isn’t going to make you feel better right now.”

“I disagree.” Kon said with a glare at his brother.

“You’re not mad at him.” Ma said as she got Kon to sit back on the bed.

“I’m always mad at him.” Kon crossed his arms.

“Don’t argue with me, young man.” Ma warned, and Kon sighed.

“Sorry, Ma.” He mumbled. He felt the lump in his throat coming back. “What if he never gets it?”

“Baby, he’ll come around. Your father still loves you, he’s just confused right now.” Ma said, and Kon felt his bottom lip trembling again. “Oh, honey.” Ma held her arms out and Kon curled into her hold. No matter how old he got, he always made himself fit into Ma’s arms. She was always who he wanted to be held by if he was upset.

“I’m sorry.” He sniffed, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Nothing to be sorry for, Baby. It’s okay.” She said, running her fingers through his hair. “You’re okay.”

“Dad’s just being stubborn, Conner.” Jon said, shaking his head, and Kon felt tears falling down his cheeks. Ma cuddled him closer, shushing him quietly.

* * *

 

“So this is where you work?” Ma asked as Kon arrived back at the table with four coffees. After his little break down, Ma suggested they go somewhere else and do something.

“Yeah, I work here in exchange for living here pretty much.” Kon nodded. “I don’t make enough off my music yet to live comfortably.”

“It’s good coffee.” She said, watching Jon add packet upon packet of sugar to his own coffee. “Honey, you’re going to give yourself a cavity.”

“I brush my teeth.” Jon said, rolling his eyes.

“Black is the only way to drink coffee.” Pa said, and Kon nodded, taking a sip of his own black coffee.

“No, it’s gross.” Jon wrinkled his nose, adding in cream.

Kon opened his mouth to retort, but his reflex made him look at the front door when it jingled, and he saw Stephanie jog in, sports bra, hoodie, and yoga pants. She caught his eye right away, and started walking over.

“Hey, Conner.” She said with a smile.

“Hey, Steph.” He said. “Out for a run?”

“Yeah, Tim’s busy right now. We’re going shopping this afternoon.” Stephanie explained. Kon nodded, remembering Tim mentioning something about that the night before. ‘ _I need my girl time’_ he had said.

“Conner?” Ma asked, and Kon turned, eyebrows raise. “Aren’t you going to introduce this young lady here?”

“Oh, right, sorry.” Kon nodded. “Stephanie, this is my grandmother, my grandfather, and my little brother, Jon. Everyone, this is my friend Stephanie.”

“It’s very nice to meet you dear.” Ma said with a warm smile.

“Likewise.” Stephanie smiled right back at her. “I’d love to stay, but I have to get back and shower. I’ve got work tonight.” Stephanie shrugged.

“Yeah, Tim was saying.” Kon nodded. “Jason and Dick going to see?”

“That they are.” Stephanie nodded. “Barbara too, I want to look good.” She said, offering everyone a wave. “Nice meeting you all. See you later, Conner.”

The blond jogged up to the counter to order her coffee, popping an earbud back into her ear.

“You’re friends with her?” Jon asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah.” Kon nodded. “She and Tim are really good friends, so we see a lot of each other.”

“Is she single?” Jon asked, watching her at the counter. She turned and saw him staring, offered him a small wave and a smile, before leaving with her coffee.

“She’s way too old for you.” Kon shook his head. He and Jon had five, almost six, years between them. He wasn’t even legal for that yet.

“So? She’s hot.” Jon said, eyes wide.

“Jonathan.” Ma scolded, and Jon deflated a bit.

“I’m sure you’ll see more of her, don’t worry.” Kon said with a wink. He looked up when the other door chimed, and Lois came strolling in.

Alone.

“Mom, where’s-“

“He doesn’t want to come down here.” Lois shook her head, pulling a chair over. “He’s upset that you hid this from him, Honey.”

“I was afraid of that.” Kon sighed, feeling his throat go tight again. He refused to cry in front of everyone again.

“He’ll come around, Honey. This is just a shock to him.” Lois explained, taking his hand in hers. “Let’s just try to have fun, okay? You dad will get tired of being a grouch and join us eventually, I’m sure.”

“I guess.” Kon shrugged.

“He still loves you, Conner. I promise.” Lois said, and Kon gave her a sad smile.

“Thanks, Mom.” He mumbled, squeezing her hand.

“Come on, no more being sad. Let’s go out and get some breakfast.” Lois said, urging everyone out of their seats.

* * *

 

They did spend the day out and about, shopping, a bit of sight-seeing. It was fun, for once, and Kon almost didn’t realize his dad was even missing.

Until later in the night when Tim called him.

They were sitting back in the café, having some cookies for dessert.

“Hello?” Kon asked answering his phone.

_“You never called me. Is everything okay?”_

“Uh, I mean, not entirely. But I really don’t want to talk about it right now.” Kon shook his head, meeting his mother’s confused gaze.

“ _Are you okay?”_

“I’ll call you in a bit, okay?” Kon asked, looking around the table.

_“Conner?”_

“Love you.” Kon mumbled, hoping no one heard. By the goofy look on his mom’s face, he assumed she did.

_“Yeah, love you too.”_

Kon hung up his phone, shoved it back in his pocket.

“Was that Tim?” Lois asked, ducking out of the rest of the table’s conversation.

“Mom,” Kon groaned.

“I’m sorry, Honey.” Lois shook her head. It was her fault really, marrying such a sensitive boy, that she got more sensitive boys out of it. “Why don’t you go?”

“No, Mom, it’s fine. Really.” Kon shook his head.

“Honey, call him. We’ll all be going to bed soon, we’re all jet lagged. I promise, I’ll wait for your okay before we come knocking on your door in the morning.” Lois said, squeezing his hand.

“Mom.” Kon hissed, his face heating up.

“It’s okay, Conner.” Lois nodded. Kon pursed his lips, taking a moment to decide before he pulled his phone back out and shot off a quick text to Tim.

* * *

 

Kon was sitting on his bed watching tv when the door opened and Tim came rushing in.

“Are you okay?” Was his immediate question, toeing off his shoes and climbing up on the bed. He climbed up over Kon’s lap, straddled one of his thighs, took his face in his hands.

“Not really.” Kon shook his head, but he felt a million times better with Tim there. “My dad’s pretty pissed at me.”

“Oh, babe-“

“It’s okay.” Kon shook his head again. “Please don’t baby me, everyone’s been doing that all day.” Tim gave him a tightlipped smile and nodded.

“What do you want me to do?” Tim whispered, settling down to sit on Kon’s lap, run his fingers through the taller man’s hair.

Kon thought for a minute, thought about all the things he wanted. He wanted to cuddle Tim and cry his eyes out because who knew if his dad would ever talk to him again. He wanted to hop in a car and drive as far away as possible. He wanted to fucking _sleep._

He never felt more like an adult and a teenager at the same time than when he was with Tim. It was an adult relationship with staying the night together and actual dates and sex, but at the same time, he felt like a virgin every time.

“I’ve felt like such a little kid all day.” Kon shook his head, looking down at his lap. “Please make me feel like an adult again.”

Tim smiled softly and nodded.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know Jon and Damian are too young for a club, but Wayne money talks. Also, I have plans for Tim and his development. Don't forget that he doesn't want to work for WE forever, but right now Kon is the one having the crisis.

Kon woke up early the following morning to go to the studio, leaving Tim fast asleep in bed. They did the most adult thing they could think of the previous night: had sex and fell asleep watching the evening news.

But he wanted to get more work done, finish the songs he had.

The release date for his album had to be set. Since performing with Redhood and the Outlaws, his followers on social media skyrocketed, and he wanted to make sure they stayed that way.

“You think this will be out by Christmas time?” Kon asked during his lunch break.

“I think it’ll be out in plenty of time.” Harvey nodded. “What we need to talk about is music videos and gigs. Depending on how well your album does.”

Kon nodded. He hadn’t really done a real music video before, only the makeshift one he did for Blondie when he first wrote it, and it featured Cassie.

He wondered how she was.

“Hey, how’s Cassie?” He asked suddenly, interrupting whatever it was Harvey said.

“She’s fine.” He blinked. “Don’t worry about her. You’ll have girls throwing themselves at you left and right.” He shrugged, and Kon nodded.

That didn’t sound _ideal_ but he was sure he’d get used to it.

* * *

 

“I think we’re going to go out tonight, the four of us, if you and your brother want to do something.” Lois said, taking a sip of her coffee. “I want to try to get your dad out of the room and have him do something.”

“Where are you guys going?”

“Just sight-seeing. We probably won’t be out late, but there’s a lot of things to see.” Lois shrugged.

“Did you want me to show you guys around?” Kon asked, folding his shirt and putting it in the drawer. Tim was sitting crosslegged on the bed, trying to match socks.

“I’d love that, Honey, but your father-“

“Oh. Right.” Kon nodded, scowling.

“He’s just still thrown off. It’s a lot for him to handle.” Lois sighed.

“No, this is just his chance to finally disown me.” Kon grumbled, shutting the drawer and moving back to the bed to fold some jeans.

“Honey, your father doesn’t want to disown you. He still loves you even if he doesn’t know how to show it sometimes.” She explained. “Trust me, he’s not going to stop loving you.”

“Sure feels that way.” Kon mumbled as he threw a pair of jeans onto the bed. Lois watched him for a minute before stepping up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“He just needs some time, okay? I promise.” She said, and after a few minutes, Kon nodded. “Okay. I’ll send Jon up here when we leave, you boys can all do something fun together.”

“Yeah, babysitting. Fun.” Kon rolled his eyes. Lois gave him a small glare. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Thank you.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

Tim waited until Lois left to say something.

“You know, sometimes it’s just a really big change and-“

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Kon shook his head, folding the jeans he had thrown. Tim recoiled, and Kon sighed. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to snap, I’m just frustrated is all.”

“I know you are.” Tim nodded. “Hey why don’t we all go do something fun tonight? Jon could come with us. It’s been a while since we’ve gone to the club where Steph works.”

“Jon’s barely 17, though.”

“So? We have money, we can pay off the bouncer. We do it for Damian sometimes.” Tim shrugged.

“Well I know Jon would like that. He met Steph the other day, thought she was really cute.” Kon shrugged. He could get a little drunk, that sounded like a good idea.

“He’ll have to fight Damian for her.” Tim giggled.

* * *

 

It wasn’t as hard as Kon would have thought getting them in. The club was 18 and up, and apparently when you had all the money in the world _and_ knew someone there, you could do anything.

“Can I have a beer?” Jon asked, looking up at his brother.

“Absolutely not.” Kon said, ordering himself a beer. “One illegal thing at a time.” Jon crossed his arms and ordered a soda for himself.

“Just be careful, alright, not everyone here is the nicest.” Tim said, taking his own drink. “We usually just come to see Steph.”

“Does she give lap dances?” Jon asked.

“Not to you, she doesn’t.” Damian scowled.

“Oh cheer up.” Tim said, ruffling his hair. “I’ll give you a twenty if you want to tip her.”

Damian said nothing, just scowled and blushed, avoiding eye contact.

“Hey he’s new.” Kon said, nodding towards a waiter in very tiny gold shorts, carrying a tray of drinks.

“Yeah, they want to appeal to more people. Steph said they’ve got a couple of male dancers now too, so they can get women and gay men in here too.” Tim nodded. “Expand and whatnot.”

“Do we have to see a bunch of guys too?” Jon asked, face scrunching up.

“Nothing wrong with a bunch of guys.” Kon pointed out.

“The girls perform first. They do the girls, then they have their best all out at once, then just the guys.” Tim explained, pointing towards the stage. There were 3 protrusions that each had a pole, as well as 2 poles on the main stage. “I’m going to go see if I can get back stage to wish her luck.” He gave Kon a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing off with his drink.

“Let’s get our seats.” Kon said, ushering the younger two towards the table where Dick and Jason were.

* * *

 

Stephanie’s set was always great.

She was wearing her favorite outfit, one she had bought with Kori. A pretty purple number that had a collar around the neck, a teardrop opening to show off her cleavage, and a tiny skirt that gave everyone a view of her matching purple panties.

She loved her job and it showed when she danced.

“She’s so hot.” Jon said, leaning on the table.

“Don’t touch her.” Damian growled, still sitting with his arms crossed in his seat.

“I’m sorry, who said you own her?” Jon asked, glaring at Damian across the table.

“A proper young woman shouldn’t be parading herself around in such a manner. Nor should anyone be touching her in such a way.” He motioned to the stage where someone was sticking a five between her breasts.

“I think Stephanie is perfectly fine, Damian.” Dick said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Damian snarled and shook it off.

“She’s finishing up anyways.” Jason shrugged, letting out a whistle.

“How do you know?”

“I know her set.”

“That’s scary.” Dick shook his head, but when he looked up, Stephanie was sauntering off stage. “How do you know her set that well?”

“Kori helped her choreograph it.” Jason shrugged. “Not often we have two girls pole dancing on the support beams in the Queen’s basement.”

“Are we done now?” Damian asked as the lights changed for the next performers.

“Tim is still back stage.” Kon said, glancing at the stage.

But he was wrong.

Standing on stage, now in a red skirt and a red, long sleeved top that tied in the front, was Stephanie. Beside her was Tim in little red shorts.

“Oh my god.” Kon mumbled.

Stephanie and another blond girl split off to the side stages while Tim came straight forward to the pole right in front of them.

“I feel like this is wrong.” Jason said, looking over at Dick, who was reaching forward to cover Damian’s eyes. The youngest growled and shoved him off, saying something along the lines of ‘seen him in worse’.

But Kon couldn’t bring himself to look away.

Tim kept giving him these looks that made him hot under the collar. He swung around the pole in the shiny shorts, looking every bit attractive as the day Kon met him.

He was incredibly extravagant, moves he had never seen Tim do before. Stephanie and the other girl were in sync with each other, but Tim was doing most of his own moves, seeming to be the star of the show.

Kon could hardly process that Tim had slid down to the floor and was crawling towards him.

Before he knew it, Tim was leaning off of the stage, giving him a deep, hot kiss that send chills down his spine and a jolt of excitement through his stomach.

They pulled back, and Tim smiled at him while everyone whistled and hollered.

* * *

 

They could barely get back to the apartment before Tim was on him.

The group had taken the car back to the boy’s apartment, sans Stephanie since she had another set before the night was over. Damian and Jon seemed to be hitting it off in the sense that they hadn’t killed each other, and it gave Jon a welcome distraction.

No one thought twice when Tim silently dragged Kon to his bedroom, without anyone noticing.

“You’re performing now?” Kon squeaked as Tim started undoing his jeans.

“It was just for tonight, I wanted to surprise you.” Tim said, shoving the material down his legs. “Steph and I planned that out.”

“In front of my brother?” Kon asked.

“That was a small snag in my plan,” Tim nodded as he undid his own pants. “But I’m really hot for you right now so can we please talk about it later?”

“Yeah, okay.” Kon nodded, reaching behind himself to lock the door.  

The two of them stumbled their way over to the bed, both now pantless, and flopped down, not caring about the noise being made.

“Can I do something?” Tim whispered, tugging at Kon’s underwear until he got the hint and kicked them off.

“What?” Kon whispered back. Tim didn’t say anything, just pushed Kon back until he was laying on his back on the bed, hands on Tim’s bare hips.

Tim reached for his nightstand and grabbed the lube out of the top drawer, rubbed some over Kon’s cock, and quickly sank himself down on him.

Kon’s grip on his hips tightened while Tim let out a very relieved moan. He began lifting himself up and down quickly, reaching down to stroke himself.

Kon couldn’t believe that this man wanted him that bad, and that beyond that, he wanted him too.

“Tim,” Kon breathed, throwing his head back against the pillow.

Neither of them lasted long, felt too desperate and wound up, and Kon came with a low grunt, his eyes closed.

Tim flopped down on top of him, panting, his cum cooling on both their stomachs.

“That’s my favorite.” Tim mumbled into Kon’s chest as he tried to catch his breath. Kon chuckled, wrapped his arms around Tim, and rolled them onto their sides.

“You’re my favorite.” Kon said, kissing his forehead.

* * *

 

Kon and Jon hadn’t gotten back to the hotel until late, and Kon had narrowly avoided a lecture when Dick saw the two of them emerge from the bedroom.

He felt kinda dirty being in church the following morning.

Tim was on his left while Ma was to his right. He had promised to take them to church that morning, and even his father was attending because he couldn’t possibly tell his mother that he wouldn’t be going to church on a Sunday morning.

Clark may have fallen out of religion a bit as he got older, but his mother didn’t have to know that.

Jon was sitting between Ma and Pa, looking about ready to fall asleep if it wasn’t for Ma reaching over to pinch his side if he started to slouch.

At the end, Lois and Clark were in their Sunday best and sitting up straight.

It wasn’t ideal, to Kon. He always pictured a woman to his left in this sort of scenario. And though the vision in his head had changed as he and Tim progressed, he still thought this would be a whole lot easier if it was still Cassie.

There were so many things in his life that would change as his vision did.

He had imagined a small wedding in their little white church back in Smallville with Cassie in a beautiful lace gown, a reception in the barn, and a wedding night in his room. They would live with Ma and Pa for a little while until they found a house.

After that, they would be baptizing their children in the church, raising them on a lot of land in Smallville.

Kon didn’t know how much of that would still work how he imagined it.

He really loved Tim, but he didn’t know if Smallville was ready for it. Would they even be accepted?

Kon was taken out of his own head when Tim squeezed his hand. He turned and gave the man a small smile.

Maybe his church in Smallville wouldn’t accept it, but maybe another church would.

* * *

 

Kon was holding Tim’s hand as they walked down the street.

Everyone else had taken the car back to the hotel, wanting to change before going out for the day.

Luckily Kon had clothes at Tim’s now, so he could change out of his church clothes and the rest of his family could meet at the apartment.

Tim was talking about something, though Kon wasn’t paying much attention as a blond haired girl caught his eye.

Cassie.

He didn’t engage her this time as she walked towards them, just smiled shyly at her as she got closer.

She eyed him, saw their interlocked hands.

She smiled back as she passed them.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple of things.   
> 1) To all of you who have been reviewing on the chapter or just writing the fucking sweetest reviews, you guys are literally the reason I keep writing this because the feedback is so inspiring to me, so thank you guys so fucking much.  
> 2) I am literally Tim except I don't get along with my mom. I feel like he really just wants Bruce's approval and he just doesn't get it sometimes. But also, he says he doesn't want to associate with him, but he does. He really wants his only remaining parent to hug him and love him and tell him he still loves him.

“You should get a job with me.” Stephanie said as she brushed out her hair at Tim’s vanity. “Everyone loved you.”

“Nah.” Tim shook his head, glancing over his laptop screen.

“Why not? You’re a really good dancer, Tim.” She said, turning to look at him. Kon was beside him, playing a game on his phone. “Tell him he’s a good dancer.”

“You’re a good dancer.” Kon mumbled, tapping ferociously at the screen.

“Thanks.” Tim glared at him.

“No, she’s right, Tim.” Kon said when he finally lost the level. “You are a good dancer. You want to do something you’re good at, why not that?”

“I don’t know.” Tim groaned, giving a shrug. “I’m not really a performer.”

“That’s such bull shit.” Stephanie laughed. “You’re a performer just like I am. Like you didn’t have to fake an orgasm a dozen times.”

“Steph, it’s a lot harder for me to fake an orgasm than you.” Tim said, finally looking up at her. “Besides, no one cared if I got off.”

“You still did it.” Steph pointed out, and Tim scowled. “Face it, you can perform great. You’re just afraid to take a risk.”

“That’s not true.”

“How long did it take you to take Conner’s gay virginity?” Stephanie asked, turning around again. Kon flushed.

“That’s different.” Tim said.

“Why?”

“He didn’t even lose his straight virginity until he was twenty.” Tim scoffed.

“Hey!” Kon said, his blush deepening.

“Oh, relax, I already knew that.” Steph said. “You really should think about it, Tim.”

“We’ll see.” Tim sighed.

* * *

 

“This is annoying.” Jon groaned as Kon sifted through the dresses. Their mom and grandma wanted to find some nice clothes to take home with them, and Kon offered to tag alone and Jon didn’t want to be stuck with their dad.

“Why don’t you go look at clothes for yourself?” Kon asked, pulling out a floral dress. Too short, he decided. Ma didn’t wear anything shorter than her knees.

“I hate clothes shopping.” Jon said, glaring at a dress that Kon was eyeing. “Mom cannot wear that. Look at how low cut that is.”

“Mom can wear this, she’s pretty enough.” Kon said, holding it out straighter. “She would look nice in this.” He turned towards the dressing rooms where his mom and grandma are.

“That looks lovely on you, Lois.” Tim was saying as she turned to look at herself in the mirror. She was in a dark red dress that went up to her neck. “You have gorgeous legs.”

“You’re so sweet, Tim.” Lois said, glancing back at Kon and Jon.

“You should try this one on, Mom.” He said, passing her the grey dress he had.

“No, that’s so revealing, Mom. I don’t want to see that.” Jon argued, and Tim chuckled.

“Mom, it’ll look nice on you.” Kon said with a smile, ignoring his younger brother.

“You’re the best, Honey.” Lois said, patting the side of Kon’s face before returning to her dressing room. “Go find something for Ma.”

“Don’t find something for Ma, I don’t need to see that either.” Jon said, following Kon and Tim out of the dressing room.

“Your mom is a beautiful woman, so is your grandmother.” Tim said, looking at a shirt. He almost wanted to buy it for himself.

“But they’re not supposed to have,” Jon said, making a general motion in front of his chest. “That’s my mom.”

“One day you’ll get it, Jonno.” Kon said, pulling a plain green dress out. It was long enough, with buttons up the back and a not-too-tight skirt. “This would look nice on Ma.”

“You’re such a suck up.” Jon rolled his eyes.

“You’re such a teenager.” Kon said as he turned back to the dressing room. Lois was back out in the grey dress which dipped down to show off her cleavage, but had short sleeves to cover her shoulders and was down to her knees.

“You have good taste, Conner.” She said, making eye contact with him in the mirror.

“Thanks, Mom.” He said, going over to the dressing room Ma was in. “Here you go, Ma.” He said, passing the dress over the door.

“Conner,” Lois motioned him over and he moved to stand beside her. If he wasn’t looking through his glasses, the reflection in the mirror looked like his parents. He knew he looked a lot like his dad while Jon took after Lois, but he never saw it more than when he saw his own reflection. “Look.”

Kon’s attention was taken back when his mom pointed out into the store where Tim was holding a crop top up to Jon.

 _“This would look adorable on you.”_ Tim said, holding up the white top that said ‘Two words, one finger’ on it.

 _“That’s for girls.”_ Jon said, crossing his arms.

“ _Who says?”_ Tim asked with a shrug. _“I love crop tops. You’ve got a nice waist line, you could pull it off.”_

Jon blushed and crossed his arms.

“So you really like this boy, huh?” Lois asked, smiling at her youngest.

“I really do, Mom.” Kon nodded, watching Tim hold the top up to his own chest, pointing out something about his own figure to Jon.

“I like him too, Honey.” Lois said with a nod.

* * *

 

“Hey, Conner?” Jon asked the following morning when he walked up to the café counter. Kon paused his cleaning to make eye contact with him.

“What’s up, Jon?” He asked, starting a cup of coffee for him.

“I wanted to come talk to you.” Jon mumbled, looking around. “Mom told me I should.

“Okay?” Kon raised an eyebrow.

“Um,” Jon cleared his throat. “Could I come visit you and Tim for Thanksgiving break?”

“What?” Kon asked, putting some sugar in the coffee.

“Well Tim is pretty cool and I’m having fun here and everything and I just thought maybe if you weren’t coming home for Thanksgiving, I could maybe come out here and-“

Kon ran around the counter and hugged him.

“Dude, why?” Jon asked, trying to push against his chest. “I did not agree to this.”

“Nope, you’re getting a hug.” Kon said, crushing the boy against his chest.

* * *

 

When Kon went back up to his room with Jon in tow, Tim was in his room on the phone.

“Bruce, I’m not asking for money.” Tim groaned. “I don’t need money. I’m just asking you to send me more work.”

Tim glanced up when he heard other people in the room and gave them a small wave.

“No, B, I can do it, I swear.” Tim said. “I want to work.”

“He’s talking to his dad.” Kon mumbled to Jon, ushering him further into the room.

“I’m done with that, I swear.” Tim sighed. “Bruce, don’t pull that shit, I’m 22 years old, you can trust me.”

“He calls his dad Bruce?” Jon whispered as he sat down at the table.

“Fine, if you don’t want to send me more work, maybe I’ll just have to find something else to keep me busy.” Tim said, angrily hanging up his phone and flopping back onto the bed, screaming into one of the pillows.

“His adoptive dad.” Kon whispered.

“He’s a jack-ass!” Tim shouted as he sat back up. “He’s treating me like I’m some child.”

“What did he say?”

“He doesn’t want to send me more work because he can’t be sure I’m trying to make an honest living anymore.” Tim growled, crossing his arms. “I haven’t worked in months. I’m bored!”

“Tim-“

“I’m 22 years old, why can’t he just treat me like an adult?” Tim asked, flopping back into the bed, growling into a pillow.

“Well you’re kind of acting like a kid.” Jon said, blinking owlishly. He didn’t have enough time to duck before a pillow was flying at him and smacking him in the face.

“Uh, Jonno, maybe go check in with Mom, okay? I’ll come get you in a bit, you and I can go get lunch.” Kon said, grabbing his younger brother by the arm and ushering him towards the door.

“But-“

“Twenty minutes, promise.” Kon said, shutting the door behind him. He strode back over to the bed where Tim was sitting up again, but was hiding his face in a pillow that he was hugging to his chest. “Tim?”

He climbed up onto the bed and got as close as he could, moving the pillow down to reveal a teary-eyed man.

“Oh, Tim-“

“He’s an ass.” Tim said as he leaned forward into Kon’s arms.

“I know, babe.” Kon nodded, repositioning them.

“I tried for so long to distance myself from him,” Tim cried. “I moved out when I was 17, I even looked into emancipation but I would have been 18 by the time it happened. I don’t want to care what he says.”

“Tim-“

“But no one knows how to ruin my self-esteem more than Bruce.” Tim mumbled.

“Okay, come on.” Kon said, scooping up the shorter man and carrying him to the bathroom. He set him down on the counter and turned around to turn on the shower.

“I’m an adult.”

“I know you are, Tim.” Kon nodded, reaching over to pull Tim’s hoodie over his head. Tim sniffed and pushed a few tears off of his face. “Pants off, babe.”

“This is not a good time to be trying to get in my pants, Kon.” Tim said with a small laugh and a sniffle. But he still hopped off of the counter to take off his shorts.

“Nope, I’m going to put you in a hot shower.” Kon laughed, giving Tim a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll be right here when you’re done, okay?”

“What about Jon?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m focusing on you right now.” Kon said. Tim nodded and stepped into the steaming shower.

Kon went back out into the room and grabbed Tim’s phone. He thought about calling Bruce and giving him a piece of his mind, but that could wait.

He put the phone in the bathroom, turning on Tim’s ‘emo’ playlist. Kon didn’t know a lot of songs on it, but he knew some and it always made Tim happy despite the depressing subject matter.

Odd little one, he was.

Kon gathered up a towel and folded it on the counter, as well as grabbing Tim one of his t-shirts.

He shot Jon a text saying to give him an extra 10 minutes tops, he wouldn’t be much longer.

Once the bed was properly turned down and pillows positioned properly, Kon got to work with making some tea. He didn’t want to give Tim coffee because he wanted him to sleep some. And he was sure Tim probably had three cups of coffee already that morning.

As he set the tea cup on the nightstand, he heard the shower turn off.

Kon made his way back to the bathroom and saw Tim, in his black t-shirt, drying his hair and looking in the mirror, singing to the song that was playing.

“Feel better?” Kon asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Tim nodded, picked up his phone.

“Come on.” Kon nodded towards the bedroom for Tim to follow him. The shorter man did just that, and he crawled into bed when Kon held up the blanket for him. He took the phone and turned the music down a bit before setting it on the nightstand beside the cup of tea.

“I’m going to get lunch with Jon. You get some sleep, alright? I’ll bring you back something.” Kon said, pulling the blankets up to Tim’s chin

“Conner?”

“Hm?” Kon asked as he pulled his flannel on over his white t-shirt.

“I love you.” Tim mumbled as he cuddled into the blankets.

“I love you too, Tim.” Kon said with a small smile before shoving his boots on and heading for the door.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was.....a bit of a roller coaster.

“Okay, Honey.” Lois said, hugging her eldest son. “I’ll call you when we land.”

“Okay, mom.” He nodded, moving to hug his little brother. “Come visit again soon.”

“We’ll try, baby.” Lois said with a nod, putting an arm around Jon to lead him towards security. She paused and said something to Clark while Kon wished his grandparents a safe flight.

“I like this boy, Conner.” Ma said, giving him a tight hug. “You be good to him and bring him home for Christmas.”

“I’ll try, Ma.” Kon said with a laugh. “Call me when you get home, okay?”

“Of course.” Ma nodded, grabbed Pa’s arm and started pulling him towards her daughter-in-law.

“Uh, Conner?” Kon turned to see his father standing there.

“Yeah, Dad?” Kon asked, feeling about ready to bolt out of there.

“Listen, uh,” Clark took a deep breath. “It was nice to see you.” He mumbled finally, patting his son on the shoulder.

“Yeah, you too, Dad.” Kon nodded, sad smile on his face. “Have a safe flight.”

“Your mother will call you when we land.” Clark said as he started following his family.

Kon took a deep breath.

Well. Small victories.

* * *

 

“Hey guys,” Kon said as he walked into Tim’s apartment. “Where’s Tim?” He asked, glancing around and seeing Damian and Jason sitting on the couch.

“In his room. Dick’s in there with him.” Jason said, not looking up from his phone. “I’d give them a bit, he had a bit of a mental break down this morning.”

“What?” Kon asked, turning around to look at Jason. “I thought he was doing better.”

“Bruce kind of pisses him off a lot sometimes.” Jason shrugged. “Happens.”

Kon sighed, went up to the bedroom door and knocked.

“Tim?” He asked.

“Come in.” He heard a muffled voice on the other side of the door. When he opened it, he saw Tim laying on his bed, face down, cuddling a pillow under his head in his arms, and Dick sitting beside him, rubbing his back.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Kon asked, shutting the door behind him.

“Bruce told me he doesn’t want me doing PR anymore.” Tim sniffled. “He’s moving me to a different department. He thinks it would look bad with me in PR.”

“Timmy, it’s okay.” Dick said, leaning over to hug him. “B just thinks it would be better to not have you dealing with the media right now.”

“Why? I haven’t worked in months, it’s blown over by now. I’m in a committed relationship and he can’t get over the fact that I did something I probably shouldn’t have.” Tim said as he sat up. “It’s just a slap in the face that he wants to stick me in IT.”

“Why?” Kon asked.

“Yeah, Timmy, you used to do a ton of IT in high school.” Dick said, furrowing his brows.

“Because it’s a step down. It’s just hiding me in the company.” Tim shook his head. “He’s embarrassed of me so he’s making sure I’m working in the most hidden part of WE.”

“Tim, he’s not embarrassed of you-“

“Of course you don’t think so, Bruce loves you.” Tim spat, glaring at his oldest brother.

“Timothy-“

“I’m going to take a shower.” Tim said, getting out of bed and practically running out the door with Dick on his heels.

“Timothy Jackson!” Dick yelled after him, but he got the bathroom door slammed in his face. “Tim! Come out here!” But the shower turned on, effectively drowning out the knocking and the yelling.

Kon leaned in the bedroom doorway, watching with interest. He may have never gotten along with his dad, had never been the fabled ‘first born golden child’ that Dick seemed to be, but if they were mad at each other, they just didn’t talk. There was never anything malicious or hurtful between them, just estranged.

“Dick, give it up. He needs some space.” Jason called from the living room. Dick sighed and turned an angry face towards his brothers in the living room.

“Jason, aren’t you worried?” He spat. “You’ve seen this all before.”

“Of course I’m worried, but it’s different now. Bruce isn’t here, he knows he has us.” Jason rolled his eyes. “He’s fine, he’s just in a funk right now because he doesn’t know what to do with himself.”

“Drake is just being a drama queen.” Damian scoffed.

“Can it, pipsqueak.”

“Damian, enough.”

“Fine, don’t believe me. He is only doing this because he wants attention as though he does not get enough.” Damian rolled his eyes and got up from his seat. “You two always give in and he knows it.” He said as he headed to his room.

 “God, when is that kid going to grow out of his teenage years?” Jason asked, glaring towards the hallway.

“What do you mean you have seen this before?” Kon finally asked, turning to Dick. The two older men blinked at him.

“Huh?” Dick asked.

“You told Jason he’s seen this before. What did you mean by that?” Kon asked, and Dick sighed.

“Come sit.” He said, pointing to the living room.

“Dick, it’s not our job to tell him. Tim will when he’s ready-“

“No, he won’t Jason. You know he’s not open about anything.” Dick said, sitting in the chair while Kon took the seat Damian had vacated. “When Tim moved here, he was severely depressed.”

“Dick-“

“Either help me or leave.” Dick said with a scowl. “He and Bruce didn’t get along at all when we left.”

“He mentioned something like that.”

“He probably didn’t mention that he ran away from home.” Jason said. “Behind Bruce’s back he signed up to graduate high school early and as soon as he did, he bought a plane ticket with his inheritance from his parents and flew out here.”

“Why?”

“He said he couldn’t live with Bruce anymore.” Jason shrugged.

“See since Tim and Damian are five years apart, Bruce usually took Damian’s side on everything because he was younger.” Dick explained.

“I know that feeling.” Kon nodded. That was one of the many reasons he moved out so young.

“Well without Bruce on his side, Tim started getting depressed. Our butler, Alfred, he said Tim would only come out of his room for school, he stopped coming down for dinner, he didn’t even go to hang out with his weird little friend.” Jason said.

“Bart isn’t weird.” Dick rolled his eyes. “But anyways, Alfred found him one morning before school on his bathroom floor crying with a handful of pills. He hadn’t taken any but he was going to.”

“Oh,” Kon mumbled. He didn’t know that feeling.

“It was the pain killers he had gotten when he got his wisdom teeth removed, he had refused to take them at the time because he doesn’t like taking medication.” Jason added.

“Alfred told Bruce that Tim was sick that day and kept him home, just the two of them. He called me and I flew home to visit because I felt so bad that we weren’t there to help him through it.” Dick said. “If I had known earlier, I would have fought Bruce for him to come live with us.”

“Anyways, he and Bruce have such a fucked up relationship that Tim was convinced that Bruce wanted nothing to do with him. It hasn’t gotten much better since he moved out.” Jason said.

“I’ve tried to get Bruce to talk to him, but Tim asked me not to tell Bruce about what happened, and withouth Bruce knowing that, he doesn’t think there’s much wrong between them.”

“He’s really bad with emotions and shit, and Tim’s the most emotional out of the four of us, so he just kind of shuts down when stuff like this happens and common sense, like telling your child you love them, doesn’t come to mind.” Jason explained. “At the age he was, it really screwed him up.”

“I didn’t know.” Kon shook his head. “He just told me they didn’t get along and that he wasn’t in a good place, but he didn’t go into detail.”

“And on top of that, Carrot Top was his only friend in school. He got a lot of flak for being bisexual at school, so he really didn’t feel like he had somewhere safe to be.” Jason said.

“Yeah, all kinds of kids used to tease him and bully him. Heck, Damian got bullied sometimes because of it too.” Dick said.

“Damian got bullied for other reasons but it slowed down as he got older. But at that age, he would take that all out on Tim instead of talking about it because he is exactly like his father.” Jason rolled his eyes. “The kid never stood a chance, he was getting shit from everyone.”

“But anyways, I’m worried that he’s getting depressed again. Bruce doesn’t realize how much impact he still has on him.” Dick said, motioning to the bathroom door. Added to the sound of the shower was music blaring. Kon distinctly remembered songs like that from middle school. All the kids with bangs over their eyes and really heavy black make up used to play it.

Kon got up from his seat and headed for the bathroom door, gave it a small knock.

“Go away, Dick!” Tim yelled.

“It’s me, Tim.” Kon said, just loud enough to be heard over the music. He turned the knob, which wasn’t locked surprisingly, and let himself into the bathroom.

Tim was sitting on the counter, legs crossed, chin in his hand, playing on his phone.

“You’re not in the shower.” Kon said as he shut and locked the door behind him.

“Not yet.” Tim shook his head. “I just wanted to get Dick away from me.”

“Why?”

“Sometimes I just want to be alone for a while.” He shrugged. “But you’re fine.”

“Oh.” Kon mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet. “So, uh, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Tim mumbled, not looking up from his phone. Suddenly, though, he looked straight at his boyfriend, eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Uh-“

“What did they say?” He asked, voice dripping in venom.

“They said, uh-“

“They told you, didn’t they?” Tim asked, glaring at the door. “Don’t you lie to me.”

“Okay, they did, but-“

“I’ll kill them.” He hopped off the counter and started for the door, but Kon grabbed him.

“Babe, wait.” He said, pulling Tim back a step. “Don’t pick a fight with them, I’m glad they told me.”

“I didn’t want to tell you, Kon.” Tim sighed, looking down at his feet.

“Why not? You can tell me anything.” Kon said, gripping Tim by the shoulders. The shorter man still looked down, fumbling with his hoodie strings.

“I didn’t want you to think I’m some crazy, depressed, suicidal person.” He mumbled. “You don’t want to be with someone like that.”

“Tim, I love you.” Kon said, finally commanding his attention. Tim looked up, gazing into his eyes. “That’s not going to change. I want to be here for you, no matter what.”

“Thanks, Kon.” Tim mumbled, taking a step forward for a warm hug. “That means a lot to me. I love you too.”

“Of course.” Kon nodded. “I want to be a safe place for you.”

Tim nodded into his chest, looked up at him.

“Can I show you something?” He asked softly.

“Sure.” Kon nodded. Tim stepped back and started pulling his hoodie over his head, kicking off his shorts and underwear, until he was completely naked. He reached into the drawer and pulled out make up remover, started wiping down his arms and thighs.

Then Kon saw them.

Tiny scars on his forearms, not big enough to have felt, but enough to have left a mark. On his thighs were similar little scars, more than Kon could count since Tim wasn’t standing still.

“Not even Dick and Jason know I have these.” Tim shook his head. “Steph either.”

“Tim-“

“I don’t do it anymore.” He said quickly. “I haven’t in years. And I got some really high quality make up to cover it, water proof and everything. It only comes off with this remover.”

“Babe-“

“Now you know.” Tim nodded. “You’re the only person I’ve ever shown these to. I’m not proud of them, I treated them to try to make them go away, but they’ll never completely vanish. So I want you to know that I’m not going back to that place, no matter how depressed I may get. I just won’t, I promised myself.”

Kon nodded.

“So whatever they say about being worried about me, now you know better. I’m not that kid anymore.” Tim shook his head.

“Okay.” Kon nodded again.

“Come take a shower with me, I could use the company.” Tim said with a small smile, and Kon returned it.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello All! If you want to see these two dorks in their early years, go to my page and check out 'Your Everything Better Plan', featuring my favorite momma Lois and it explains why Clark and Conner don't really get along well for the most part. But enjoy this here, this has been part of my plan since the beginning.

Kon took the headphones off of his head and set them on the stool behind him. That was the last bit they had to record before they got into the editing process of everything.

“Sounds good, Kid, come on out.” Harvey said over the speakers.

Kon came jogging out, excited to have everything recorded. He had so much emotion in this album, since so much had changed over one summer for him, and he was really excited to hear it all.

“This was a good song, Kid.” Harvey nodded, glancing over some things on the board. “Now we just take this to the execs here and if they sign you officially, they we set a release date.” He pulled a disc out of his laptop.

“When do we do that?”

“I can see if we can meet them this afternoon-“

“Oh, I can’t this afternoon.” Kon shook his head. “I have plans.”

“What plans could you have more important than this?” Harvey asked with a raised eyebrow. “Some church group or something?”

“No,” Kon shook his head. Harvey never got his attachment to religion, said it was a waste of time. “I’m going out.”

“Like on a date?” Harvey asked, suddenly standing up straight. “Kid, you’ve got other things to worry about.”

“Well I can’t blow him off, he’s picking me up from here.” Kon shook his head again, packing up his guitar.

“He?”

Kon blinked.

Whoops.

“Uh, yeah.” Kon nodded. “He.”

“You into all that gay shit now?” Harvey asked.

“Look, Harvey, I like this guy, we’ve been dating for a while now and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t refer to him like that.” Kon said, turning to face his manager.

“You can’t be tied down right now, kid. Guy or girl.” Harvey said, glaring at the boy. “Girls are going to be throwing themselves at you, they don’t want to hear that you’ve chosen to be gay.”

“I’m not gay, Harvey, I’m bi.” Kon sighed. “And what do you mean guy or girl?”

“Just that you shouldn’t be dating anyone right now when you have your career to think about.” Harvey waved him off, turning back to the computer.

“No, what did you mean?” Kon asked. “I didn’t say anything about a girl.”

“Nothing, Kid.” Harvey shook his head.

Kon’s eyes narrowed, then widened.

“You’re the reason Cassie dumped me, aren’t you?” Kon asked, glaring at the man.

“Look, Kid-“

“You are! You told Cassie to dump me.” Kon said, eyes widening.

“It’s for your own good. Cassie’s too.” Harvey said, putting the CD in a case. “I know what’s good for the two of you.”

“No you don’t.” Kon mumbled. He reached out and plucked the CD out of Harvey’s hand before he could stop him “You’re fired, Harvey.”

“You can’t fire me-“

“I just did.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing.” Harvey whispered, glaring at the boy threateningly. “You won’t make it out there without me.”

“Watch me.” Kon said, grabbing his guitar case and turning to rush out the door.

* * *

 

“Kon?” Tim asked as his boyfriend practically barreled him over on the way out of the recording studio.

“We have to postpone out date for a little bit.” Kon said, pulling his phone out to call a cab.

“What? Why?” Tim asked.

“There’s just something I have to do. I’ll meet you at your apartment when I’m done okay?” Kon asked, finally looking over at Tim.

He looked hurt.

“I love you, okay? I really do. I just have to take care of something first.” He said, leaning over to give Tim a small kiss.

“Okay.” Tim nodded, raising an eyebrow. “I love you too.” He said, turning to get back into his car.

* * *

 

“Cassie!” Kon shouted, banging on her apartment door. He knew she was home, he saw her car parked outside. “Cassie!”

“Conner, are you nuts?!” She asked as she yanked the door open. “I have neighbors.” She hissed.

“I fired Harvey.” Kon said, not letting her shut the door in his face. “He told me what he did and I fired him.”

“You did?” Cassie asked, pulling the door open a bit more.

“I did.” Kon nodded, and Cassie stepped aside to let him into her apartment. He strode in, sat down on the couch. It was a new couch. He didn’t remember this one.

“I’m so sorry, Conner.” Cassie mumbled as she shut the door. “He told me I had to, for my career, and that telling you why would only make it worse. He didn’t want me to talk to you at all.”

“I get it.” Kon nodded. “It’s okay.”

“It was really hard to hurt you like that, Conner.” Cassie said as she sat down beside him. “It really was. I felt so bad.”

“It’s not your fault.” Kon shook his head, turning to face her. “It’s his.”

“I guess.” Cassie nodded. “But I went along with it and-“

“Cassie?” Kon asked, effectively silencing her. “Did you really see a future with me?”

Cassie blinked at him for a moment.

“No.” She shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved you, I do love you. But you and I weren’t going to be together forever. Life doesn’t work like that.”

“I used to think you’d be my one and only.” Kon nodded, looking down at his hands in his lap.

“And now?”

Kon really thought about it. He thought about how he always envisioned their perfect lives, how much he really cared about her, and how much me missed her.

“I’ve really missed you, wonder girl.” Kon chuckled. “But as my friend. Looking back now, it wasn’t meant to be between us.”

“Conner, you were my first,” Cassie said, reaching over to take his hand. “For a lot of things. And you’ll always be special to me. But we would have fallen apart eventually. And you seem so happy without me.”

“I am very happy,” Kon nodded. “Still missed this though.”

“He’s a very lucky man, Conner.” Cassie said. “Is he good to you?”

“He’s very good to me.” Kon said, looking up at her. “His name is Tim.”

“I hope I can meet him.” Cassie said, pushing some of Kon’s hair off of his forehead. “And I hope we can be friends.”

“I’d like that.” Kon nodded, and they both leaned forward into a hug.

* * *

 

“Hey,” Tim said when he opened the apartment door. “Where did you go?”

“I went to see Cassie.” Kon said, his smile wide on his face.

“What?” Tim asked, his voice barely audible. He didn’t have much time to be upset however because Kon swept him up in a bone crushing hug. “I can’t breathe.”

“I found out that Harvey told her to dump me,” Kon said, swinging Tim back and forth. “So I fired him and went to find her.”

“You did?” Tim mumbled, trying to push himself away from Kon’s chest.

“Oh, no, not like that.” Kon shook his head, took Tim’s face in his hands, planted several kisses on his lips and cheeks and nose. “I just needed to talk to her, I promise.”

“Okay.” Tim mumbled.

“We’re friends again, and I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.” Kon shook his head. “Let’s go get dinner, okay? To celebrate my freedom.”

“You’re being weird.” Tim said, narrowing his eyes at him.

“I just haven’t felt this free in a long time.” Kon said, lifting Tim up by his hips until he could wrap his arms around his thighs, looking up at him with his bright blue eyes.

“Well I’m glad you’re happy, Kon. But what about your music?” Tim asked as Kon let him back down.

“I’ll worry about that later. I don’t have Harvey breathing down my throat.” Kon said, taking Tim’s hands. “He wanted me to dump you, and no way in hell was I going to do that. I love you.”

“I love you too, Kon.” Tim whispered, standing on his toes to give him a kiss. “You wanna skip dinner and go right to my room?”

“I would but I actually am pretty hungry.” Kon blinked, and Tim laughed.

“Okay, let’s go eat first then.” Tim said, taking his hand and pulling him towards the door.

* * *

 

Kon flopped onto the bed, panting. Dick had a show, which Damian was at, and Jason was with the band for practice at the Queen household. Hearing Tim whining and shouting was the best thing he’d heard all day.

“Let’s do that again.” Tim panted, curling up against his side.

“Give me a few minutes.” Kon chuckled, leaning over to give Tim’s forehead a kiss. “Let me catch my breath first.”

“Timmy?!” Tim sat up straight when he heard Jason’s voice out in the living room.

The door was unlocked.

Shit.

“Hide.” Tim hissed, pushing Kon under the covers.

“Tim-“

“Shh.” Tim whispered, smoothing the covers over and pulling them up to cover his chest.

“Hey, Tim, I-“ Jason said as he pushed the door open.

And froze.

Sighed.

Pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Conner, come out from under the blanket please.” Jason said, looking down at the floor. Kon did as he was told, slowly showing the top of his head and eyes only, the blanket covering him the rest of the way. “Tim, please remember to lock you door. What if I was Dick? Then you’d be in some real trouble.”

“What did you need, Jason?” Tim asked, letting the blanket fall a bit to pool in his lap.

“We’re down a backup dancer for tomorrow night’s show, you good to fill in?” He asked. Tim usually picked up choreography quickly, and every once in a great while when they get in a bind he can catch himself up to speed.

“Yeah, sure.” Tim nodded.

“Great. Finish whatever this is, quietly. Practice in ten.” Jason said without looking up. He turned and twisted the little lock on the door knob before shutting the door behind him.

Kon blinked, eyed Tim from where he was still mostly hidden, his face flushed.

“Let’s go again real quick before practice.” Tim said, leaning over to kiss the top of Kon’s head. Kon blinked again, but he wasn’t going to argue.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is kind of transitional so it's not my best I know. But I think Tim would be so good on camera and the band is just doing some kind of small junket thing, which is where they sit in a room and people come in all day from different organizations to interview them so Tim probably made that interviewers day. And I don't hate me for Jason calling Tim a name, he does it with love.

“Alright, four tickets are booked!” Dick said as he climbed the stairs to the loft.

“For what?” Kon asked, eyes staying on Tim’s hips as he worked through the choreography with Artemis.

“Our Christmas trip back home.” Dick said, flopping onto the bed beside Jason, sitting right up against him.

“I’m not going.” Tim said, twisting a bit, not missing a step on the moves he had learned so far.

Kon was kind of surprised at how good Tim actually was at dancing. He knew he was good, but the speed he had picked it up from the other dancer was astounding.

“What do you mean you’re not going?” Dick asked, sitting up straighter.

“I mean I’m not going.” Tim said, finally pausing his dancing and turning to his brothers with a hand on his hip, just above the waistband of his leggings. He was also wearing a crop top that fell off of one of his shoulders, that pretty little bird exposed on his skin. Kon remembered what he said about all of them having them and looked at the older two.

He had never noticed that either of them had a tattoo.

“Tim, you have to go.” Dick sighed.

“He doesn’t have to go,” Jason said. “He can make his own decisions.”

“But it’s Christmas, Tim. Don’t you want to be with us for Christmas?” Dick asked, scooting forward on the bed.

“Of course I do.” Tim sighed, motioning with his hand. “But I don’t want to see him.”

“He’s our Dad, Tim.” Dick said.

“Legally, yes.” Tim nodded, moving back to start the choreography over.

“So you can’t just avoid him forever.” Dick said, standing up.

“Watch me.” Tim said, going through the moves with Artemis beside him. Dick sighed again and strode over to his side of the room, started pulling clothes out of his dresser.

“Look, we’ll talk about this in the morning, okay? I have a date tonight, I have to get going.” Dick shook his head, shucked off of his shirt.

There was a robin on his back. A blue bird, yellow flowers behind it, and a ribbon under it that had ‘Richard’ spelled out on it.

“Barbie?” Jason asked, leaning back on his hands.

“Yeah.” Dick nodded, pulling on a button up shirt. “Tim, good luck tonight. Please come home with us for Christmas.”

“Thanks, and no way.” Tim said, running a hand through his hair, going over a move he had flubbed a few times. Kon turned back to him. His butt looked really good in those leggings.

* * *

 

“I think Jon is coming out here for Thanksgiving.” Kon said absentmindedly as Tim changed into sweats. He was slightly disappointed that Tim was changing out of the cute little crop top that showed off his tattoo and the leggings, but he was pretty okay with the costume he would be in.

They had to leave for the show soon, and Kon had caught a glimpse of something shiny and red in Tim’s duffle.

“Okay.” Tim nodded, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sure Damian will like someone his own age to torture.”

“So if you’re not going home for Christmas, what are you going to do?” Kon asked. He hadn’t wanted to pry too much, didn’t want to have Tim mad at him, but he also didn’t want him to be sitting alone on Christmas.

“Well I figured we could have a nice naked holiday here while everyone is gone.” Tim said, shouldering his duffle bag and turning to look at Conner. “Oh, wait. Oh you’re going home for Christmas aren’t you?”

“Well,”

“I’m sorry, I just assumed, I don’t know why.” Tim shook his head as he started for the living room.

“Well, Tim,” Kon followed after, trying to keep up. “Hey, I don’t want you to be here all by yourself.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, I like solitude.” Tim shook his head, hand on the doorknob. Jason was already waiting.

“Why don’t you come to the farm with me?” Kon asked, holding the door shut. “Mom and Dad don’t usually come for Christmas, just send gifts, so it’ll just be me, Ma and Pa.”

“You really want me to go with you?”

“I really do.” Kon nodded. “I want you to spend Christmas on the farm with me.”

Tim seemed to think for a moment.

“Yeah, okay.”

* * *

 

Kon and Tim sat off to the side, out of the camera’s view, while Jason, Kori, and Roy laughed on camera at something one of them said. They all seemed pretty good at handling interviewers, had seen a few of them in the hour they’d been there already.

“So Jason and Roy, you’ve been friends since high school?” The interviewer asked.

“Oh god, earlier than that.” Roy snorted.

“Yeah, middle school, maybe elementary, it’s been a long ass time.” Jason laughed.

“What was that like?”

“It was a lot of following around his older brother and hanging out with his friends.” Roy said, giving Jason a shove. “We thought he was so cool.”

“You thought he was cool, I thought he was a moron. Still do.” Jason laughed.

“How many brothers do you have?”

“Three.” Jason nodded. “That’s one of them over there.” He pointed off camera to where Tim and Kon were sitting together, Kon’s arm around his shoulders, Tim still dressed in his sweats.

“Come over here, Tim.” Roy called, and the other two nodded. Tim blushed, but he got up and straightened his shoulder, strode over to the trio and flopped into Jason’s lap, the older’s arms going around his waist.

"So tell us what it was like growing up with Jason."

"Well, he was an okay brother I guess," Tim shrugged, patting Jason's arm around his waist.

"Alright, look here you little twink," Jason said, starting to tug Tim to the side so he would fall off. He squealed a quick no and grasped onto Jason's arm with a laugh. "Boyfriend can't save you from me." Jason laughed.

"Okay, he wasn't terrible. He was actually pretty fun to hang out with," Tim laughed, relaxing back into Jason. "Roy was the cool one."

"You've always had a thing for me," Roy laughed, leaning over to look at the two accross Kori's lap.

"Guilty." Tim laughed, giving Roy a wink. "But really, Jason was pretty cool. He did a lot of protecting me during high school and stuff."

"Did you beat some people up?"

"I might of." Jason shrugged. "Only one who can make fun of the shrimp is me."

"Can you tell us a story about Jason?"

"Think wisely, pipsqueak."

"Well when I moved to California, Jason and Roy got all drunk and stupid, so we went out and got tattoos, the three of us and our brother Dick." Tim explained, motioning to them all.

"You have a tattoo?"

"Of course you'd pick a drunk story," Jason groaned, scooting Tim over a bit to pull down the collar of his t-shirt, revealing a bird on his chest, dark grey with a red breast, red flowers behind it, with a ribbon around it with his name. "We got matching ones."

"Tim do you have one as well?"

"I do," Tim said, reaching for the hem of his shirt, but Jason grabbed his hand.

"Don't ask to see it, the little slut got it in a bad place." Jason laughed, giving Tim a shove. "Don't want that on tv." He said as Tim bounced up and came running back over to Conner.

"We just took Damian to get his too," Roy said, and Kori burst out laughing. "He's just old enough to get one, and he was scared to death."

"Kid's not afraid of anything but stick a needle in his face and he bolted out of the chair." Jason laughed.

"I had to sit in the chair with him." Kori laughed.

Kon tuned the rest of the interview out as it segued into their upcoming album and their concert coming up that night, turning to look down at Tim. He was pretty content, and seemed so comfortable on camera.

"You made that look so easy." Kon said, running a hand through Tim's locks.

"Years of practice." Tim said, giving Kon's knee a pat. "Let's head to the dressing room, I can get my costume on and meet up with Artemis."

* * *

 

Kon stood on the side of the stage watching as the dancers all got in place. This song Kon knew, and Kori sang in it, which she didn’t like to do often, but she sounded amazing.

Tim was the only male dancer, and while most of the women were in a costume picked out by Kori, black shorts and red, sequined tops of different styles, Tim was in what he called a ‘Jason-approved’ costume, which consisted of black pants and a sparkly red tank top.

It was a wonderful number as far as Kon was concerned, very theatrical for their band, but it always got the crowd going, and Tim played it up well when he was up towards the front beside Artemis. Kon could see the screen zoom in on Jason, and not too far behind him was Tim, giving the camera a wink.

Fucking tease. Kon shook his head.

“They do pretty good, huh?” Stephanie asked, having arrived at some point during the getting ready stage of the evening. “Tim’s a great dancer.”

“He really is.” Kon nodded, looking back at the stage.

“And he really likes it.” Stephanie nodded, peaking over his shoulder. “Always has, but he won’t admit it to himself.”

“He should look into doing it professionally.” Kon said as the number came to a close, the dancers filing off stage. The one with red hair, Artemis, bounded past him to give everyone fist bumps and high fives, including the head of security for the band. He was a really buff guy, and very tall, pretty pale, and an undercut hair style. Artemis was pretty tall, towering over the other dancers, and they seemed a good pair.

Finally Tim came bouncing off stage, locking arms with one of the other dancers and laughing at something. Once he saw Kon, he made a beeline for him.

“How’d you like it?” Tim asked, sliding into his arms.

“You’re a really great dancer, Babe.” Kon said, leaning down to kiss Tim’s forehead.

“Wanna go be bad and do it in Jason and Roy’s dressing room?” Tim asked, looking further back stage.

Kon blinked for a moment.

“Yeah, okay.”

* * *

 

Kon knew he should have expected another afterparty, seemed to be common practice with this band, but he was feeling a bit off.

It was finally hitting him that he had given up his dream, at least temporarily, because he had dropped Harvey. Though he was really glad he did, it still stung that he was starting over again.

He had texted Cassie and told her to come by, having been told by Roy ‘Invite all the friends you want, more people means more partying’.

They were greeted at the door by Lian, who came running up to Roy in her dark green night gown.

“Hi, pumpkin.” He said, scooping her up.

“Daddy, I’m not a pumpkin.” She whined, but Roy laughed and kissed her nose anyways. “Jay Jay!” She shouted, reaching over for Jason.

“Hey, Princess.” Jason said, taking the little girl into his arms. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

“Because Grandma gave her sugar too late and now she’s wide awake.” Dinah said as she descended the stairs, dressed in some jean shorts and a black t-shirt with the band’s logo on it.

“Well that just won’t do.” Roy said, taking her from Jason and swinging her around. “We’ll have to have a talk with Grandma about following Daddy’s rules.” He said as he started towards the stairs, giving Dinah a pointed looked as he passed her.

“Oh, Grandmas don’t have rules, right sweetheart?” She asked, leaning over to give Lian a kiss on the head. “I’ll be up in a little bit to say good night.”

“Daddy I want Jay Jay to read me a story.” Lian said, flopping against Roy’s shoulder.

“Oh Uncle Jason, you’re wanted.” Roy said in a sing-song fashion, and Jason followed after him. The rest of the group followed Dinah’s directions to the party down in the basement, already full swing thanks to Dick and Damian who had arrived earlier in the night.

Well everyone except Kon, who stayed in the kitchen.

“You don’t seem like much of a party animal.” Dinah said, leaning on the kitchen island.

“Eh,” Kon shrugged. “It’s not really that, I’m just not really in the mood.”

“Well you can come with me to tuck Lian in then. Come on.” Dinah ushered for him to follow, which he did, up the stairs and down the hall to the guest room with the two beds.

“I don’t want to go to bed, Daddy.” Lian said, crossing her arms. “I’m a big girl, I can stay up past my bedtime.” She yawned.

“It’s already past your bedtime.” Roy pointed out, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Look who came to say goodnight.”

“Grandma, can I stay up with you?” Lian asked, sitting up straight.

“You heard your daddy, honey.” Dinah shook her head, stepping further into the room to give the little girl a hug and a kiss. “I love you, Lian.”

“I love you too, Grandma.” Lian said, reaching out for a hug from Jason. “I love you, Jay Jay.”

“I love you too, Princess.” Jason said, kissing the top of her head. As he stood up, Lian turned to Kon, who was still lingering in the doorway. She held her arms open.

“You have to say goodnight too, Uncle Kon.” She said, and Kon blushed. He strode forward and gave her a hug.

“Good night, Lian.” He said, relishing the fact that this little girl thought of him in that way.

“Alright, little girl, I’ll see you in the morning.” Roy said, giving her another kiss. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, Daddy.” Lian said, curling up under her blankets.

The adults filed out of the room, but while Roy and Jason headed down to the main floor, Dinah pulled Kon to her studio.

“So what’s going on with you?” She asked, sitting down in one of the chairs. The room was decked out, Kon had never seen it before. Gold and Platinum records hung on the walls, posters, pictures and even an old drum decal were plastered up everywhere else. Dinah had dedicated herself to this band.

“I fired my manager.” Kon mumbled. “And it’s just now hitting me that I might have screwed up my career.”

“You didn’t screw up your career.” Dinah shook her head. “You’re the only one who knows what’s best for you.”

“But now what? I have a disc of my songs but what do I do with it?” Kon asked, shrugging his shoulders and flopping into a seat.

“Tell you what,” Dinah started, scooting forward. “Play me something in the booth. If I like what I hear, I’ll manage you temporarily and try to find someone I know that will take the job full time.”

“Really?” Kon asked, sitting up straight.

“There’s a guitar in the booth.” Dinah said, pointing to the door beside the big glass window. She scooted over and slid the headphones over her ears.

Kon buzzed into the booth, picking up the guitar. It was older, not one that was used regularly, evidently. There was a JT + KA carved into the back of the neck, and Kon knew Jason wouldn’t do that to a guitar he used regularly.

“What kind of song do you want to hear?” Kon asked as he put the headphones on.

“Whatever you think is your best.” Dinah said, and Kon knew exactly what that was. He started playing the song he knew by heart, but it felt almost empty now. Singing it wasn’t right because he wasn’t in love with that blond girl anymore.

But still, while he sang it, he wasn’t thinking of long blond locks and cute red lips and that sundress that she wore out to the farm. He thought of Tim in a crop top with a hoodie tied around his waist and his beautiful blue eyes and how he felt with his head on Kon’s chest.

That’s all he could see when he closed his eyes.

And what he saw when he opened his eyes.

As the song finished, he could see that Tim and Cassie had joined Dinah on the other side of the window.

“How was that?” Kon asked, sliding the guitar off.

“Sounded good, come on out.” Dinah said, and Kon did was he was told.

“You sounded great, Kon.” Tim said, stepping up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Oh, uh, Tim, this is Cassie. Cassie, this is my boyfriend Tim.” Kon said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“We’ve already met but it’s nice to have a formal introduction.” Cassie giggled.

“Conner, that sounded great. I’ll take you on until I can find someone for you full time, okay?” Dinah asked. “If you want to rerecord anything, you just let me know, time here is free.”

“I uh,” Kon mumbled, trying to find the right words. “I don’t want to have that song on there.”

“No?” Dinah asked, furrowing her brows.

“No.” Kon shook his head. “Cassie, that will always be your song.” He said, turning to the blond, keeping an arm around Tim. “But, it’s just-“

“I get it.” Cassie nodded, a smile on her face. “It’s not the same anymore.”

“Right.” Kon nodded.

“But I appreciate that you gave it to me still.” Cassie said. “So why don’t you introduce me to your other friends?”

“Of course.” Kon nodded, ushering the two of them out.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belated Thanksgiving! This chapter is a bit longer, but also, lots of fun and brother time.

Kon stood at the baggage claim, looking for the blue duffel bag that he knew Jon always used when he traveled anywhere. He would be getting off the plane soon, his flight had landed, and Kon was eager to get him back to the hotel.

He had wanted to come alone, which wasn’t hard since Tim and Stephanie were taking Cassie shopping which was….well if Kon was being honest, weird.

He hadn’t expected her and Tim to get along so well, and she had hit it off with Stephanie at the party. They were all becoming fast friends, but the fact that the majority of that group had seen Conner at his most vulnerable was a little unsettling.

Two people in the whole world that he had sex with and they just _had_ to get along so well.

Kon finally spotted the duffel with a J.K. initialed on it, something that was a gift from some coach in middle school. Was Jon in soccer or football? Kon couldn’t remember. Maybe it was baseball.

It was some kind of sport that Kon never really cared for.

He was too rebellious for sports.

He cringed inwardly at the thought of the leather jacket he used to wear. Or the time he pierced his ear.

Kon thought he could still probably get an earring through that hole, it never actually closed up properly since it wasn’t pierced properly.

“Conner!”

Kon looked up and saw his little brother jogging towards him. His brown hair flopped against his forehead, and he looked like he needed a haircut.

“Hey, Jon.” Kon said, hefting the bag up onto his shoulder. “All set?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Jon nodded, and Kon led the way out to the cab.

* * *

 

The ride back was full of chatter from Jon, who had been seated between some pretty strange people on the plane and he wanted to tell Kon all about it, which Kon didn’t mind. Jon always had been the talkative one, Kon much quieter.

Once back at the hotel, Kon let Jon into his room, where they decided he would stay instead of paying for a separate room. The bed was big enough for two, obviously.

Jon tossed his duffle on the floor and was about to sit down on the bed but sprang back up, seeming to remember something.

“Did you change the sheets on here?” He asked, pointing to the bed. Kon rolled his eyes.

“We have a cleaning service here, relax.” Kon said, setting his room key down and shedding his jacket. “And Tim and I haven’t stayed here in a few days anyways.”

“Okay, good.” Jon said, sitting down and toeing off his shoes. “I can’t believe you guys sleep together. Ma’d have a heart attack if she found out.”

“That’s why Ma won’t find out, right?” Kon asked, flopping onto the bed and grabbing the remote.

“As long as you don’t piss me off.” Jon scoffed. “Isn’t it weird though?”

“Not really,” Kon shrugged. “Tim and I have been dating for a while now, we usually sleep together here or his place.”

“No, I mean like, the other stuff.” Jon said, scooting up the bed to sit against the pillows.

Oh.

“I mean, at first I guess.” Kon said. “I had only been with Cassie before, so it was really weird at first. But I got pretty used to it.”

“You had sex with Cassie?” Jon asked, eyes wide.

Whoops.

“Well we dated for years, eventually that had to happen.” Kon said, his face heating up. He didn’t talk about this kind of thing with Jon often. “I know you didn’t see us for most of our relationship, but we were pretty into each other.”

“What changed though?” Jon asked, ignoring the TV. “Like, I thought you liked girls.”

“I do like girls.” Kon nodded. “I like both, I guess. Tim was just the only guys I was ever really attracted to.” He shrugged.

“Dad asked me if you were happy.” Jon said, growing tired of the silence between them after Kon’s statement. “I told him you were.”

“I am.” Kon nodded.

“So is Tim gay?” Jon asked, tilting his head.

The two of them knew growing up that people were gay, that people had different sexual interests, but it wasn’t a conversation anyone had with them. Their father wasn’t much of a talker, and Kon had moved out before his mother could ever have that conversation with him. He had always expressed interest in girls, so she probably didn’t feel much of a need to.

“No, he’s pansexual.” Kon shook his head. Tim had explained it to him once, and while it was still kind of fuzzy in his head, he knew there was a difference.

“What does that mean?” Jon asked, scrunching up his face.

“Means he’s attracted to anyone, regardless of, like, sex I guess.” Kon said, scrunching up his own face. They both had the same thinking face, which their mom pointed out to them because it was the same as their father. “I’m bisexual. That means I like men and women.”

“What’s the difference?” Jon asked.

“I think it means Tim really has no rules, as long as he is attracted to the person.” Kon said, tilting his head. “He said he identified as bisexual in high school, but when he moved to California he dated a girl who is pan, and said it helped him to realize who he really was.”

“Stephanie?”

“Yeah, Stephanie.” Kon nodded.

“Oh.” Jon nodded, and the two lapsed into silence again for a moment.

“I’m still straight.” Jon said after a while.

“Okay.”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Kon laughed. “Be whoever you are, I don’t care.” He shrugged.

“Cool.” Jon nodded, slouching against Kon’s shoulder.

* * *

 

Tim’s driver was picking the two of them up at the hotel Thanksgiving morning. Jon gushed over having a rich boyfriend and if someone did that for him, he’d be gay too.

Kon had to admit, it was a perk.

Did this make Tim his sugar daddy?

Ooo. Kon didn’t want to open that door.

“If you like this, you should see their car.” Kon laughed.

“They have a car?” Jon asked, eyes wide.

“Well Tim said it was their dad’s, but they took it when they moved out here and never brought it back.” Kon shrugged. “We can see if they’ll drive us around.”

“This whole rich thing is awesome.” Jon said, laying down on the seat he had all to himself.

“Well when I get rich I’ll make sure you three have one of these for you in Metropolis.” Kon said, running his hand over the leather. It was really nice, he had to admit. Jon didn’t say anything in response, scowling at the floor. “You alright?”

“I applied to UCLA.” Jon mumbled. “I haven’t told Mom and Dad yet.”

“That’s great.” Kon said, sitting up straight. “If that’s where you want to go.”

“Dad thinks I want to go to Metropolis University.” Jon shrugged. “But I want to leave, I want to see cool things. Like you.”

Kon blinked for a moment.

His little brother……wanted to be like him?

“That sounded stupid, forget I said anything-“

“No,” Kon shook his head. “No, I get it. Look, I may have left for a few different reasons, but I’m glad that it gave me the opportunity to move here because LA has been so life changing for me.”

“But that’s different.” Jon sighed. “You left because you and Dad didn’t get along, Dad and I get along fine.”

Kon scowled.

“I mean, sometimes Mom and I argue, but for the most part, I have no reason to want to move to the other side of the country.”

“You have every reason to.” Kon said. “Listen, why don’t we try talking about it to Tim’s brothers? They moved out here 7 years ago, I’m sure that’ll help you out.”

* * *

 

Most of the other guests had not arrived yet when Kon and Jon got there, which was Tim’s plan because he wanted to spend some time with Kon before the mess of people filled their apartment.

“Hello, again, Jon.” Tim said with a smile and a hand on his hip. He was in his sleep pants still, though they looked a little big on him so Kon looked closer and realized they were actually his, and the t-shirt was not his either, hanging on his slender frame. It was an old Girls Like Boys shirt, Kon had one too that he no longer fit into.

“Hi, Tim.” Jon said, stepping into the apartment. Kon leaned forward for a quick kiss before following after his brother.

“Dick! Where the fuck is my-“ Jason shouted, leaning over the railing to the loft. “Oh, hey Conner. Jon.”

“Hey Jason.” Kon greeted back, heard the bathroom door by the kitchen open, saw Dick step out in a towel.

“What’s up, Jay?” He asked, running a hand through his wet hair.

“Where the fuck is my deodorant?” Jason asked, glaring down at his older brother.

“Oh, I borrowed it, sorry. On my desk.” Dick shrugged, keeping a hand on his towel.

“Gross!” Jason shouted. “Keep it, I don’t want your sweat. I’ll have Roy pick some up for me. Fucking gross.” He mumbled as he retreated back into the loft.

“I only used it once, Jay.” Dick shook his head, offering the three in the living room a wave as he climbed up the stairs to the loft.

“Is it always like that?” Jon asked, looking up at Kon. He wasn’t much taller, but Kon took pride in the fact that he was older _and_ taller.

Damian was outgrowing Tim.

“Not always.” Tim shrugged, heading into the kitchen and refilling his coffee cup. “Coffee?”

“Sure.” Jon shrugged and followed the shorter man.

“You and Kon are so cute.” Tim said, shaking his head as he took out a spare mug for Jon.

“What do you mean?” Jon asked as Kon joined him at the bar counter.

“You two dress exactly the same.” Tim giggled, passing a mug across the counter.

Huh.

Kon looked over and saw that Jon was in a blue plaid button up with a white t-shirt under it, plain jeans and a belt. Kon had opted for a simple t-shirt, but on an ordinary day, he would have work the same thing.

“It’s that farm boy look, you just need a ball cap.” Tim smiled, taking a sip of his coffee.

“I have a ball cap.” Jon said, blinking behind his glasses. “I left it in my bag at the hotel.”

“Do we really dress alike?” Kon asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Not saying that’s a bad thing.” Tim said, reaching out and tilting Kon’s chin a bit. “I dress like Jason all the time.”

“Only because you take my clothes, you little thief.” Jason said as he passed him on his way to the fridge. “And that’s not true, you dress more like Dick than me.”

“Nuh-huh.” Tim shook his head. “Dick doesn’t wear skinny jeans.”

“That’s different, I wear skinny jeans because I’m in a rock band. You wear skinny jeans because you’re proud of your ass. Like someone else we know.” Jason said, ruffling Tim’s hair as he walked back around him with a bottle of water.

“Hey, I worked hard for this ass.” Tim said, taking a sip of his coffee. “And it looks damn good in my slacks.”

“What are you two blabbering on about?” Damian asked as he strode out of the bathroom, wet hair smoothed back.

“Damian, don’t be rude, we have guests.” Tim said, nodding toward the two at the bar. “Say hi.”

“Greetings.” Damian mumbled as he went to the fridge to grab himself a bottle of water. “Drake, Richard informs me you’re not coming home for Christmas.”

Tim’s eyes widened.

“Damian, we can talk about that later.” He said, giving his brother his best ‘shut up’ eyes.

“I would just like to inform you that running away is not how you deal with problems.” Damian said with an eye roll as he headed for the living room.

“God, you sound just like him.” Tim groaned, setting his mug down.

“Is that so awful?” Damian asked, whipping around to glare at him.

“Look, Damian, my issues with your father are none of your concern, so please don’t butt in.” Tim scowled, meeting Damian’s glare. “Bruce and I don’t get along, we never have, alright?”

“That’s untrue, you’ve always been very spoiled.” Damian said, and Kon pulled Jon back just as Tim chucked his coffee mug at Damian, who dodged it.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Dick shouted as he came running down the stairs, only half dressed in a pair of jeans. “Damian, bedroom, now.” He said, pointing Damian towards his room. He shot Tim a glare and crossed his arms, but he obeyed anyways. “Tim, clean this up.” He said before vanishing into Damian’s room.

Tim, who was fuming and his hands visibly shaking, hurried around the peninsula to scoop up the pieces of ceramic.

“Tim, here.” Kon said, grabbing some paper towel to bring to him.

“He’s such a fucking brat sometimes.” Tim growled as he sopped up the coffee. “Can’t just keep his fucking mouth shut.”

“He’s still a teenager, Tim.” Jason said as he came jogging down the stairs. “You were moody too, once.”

“I was never such an asshole.” Tim said as he stood up, walked to the kitchen to throw out the mug pieces and paper towel.

“No, but you were the biggest cry baby ever.” Jason said, taking Tim’s flushed face in his hands, ignoring the scowl. “You two just need to stop egging each other on.”

“He started it.” Tim said, pushing Jason’s hands away.

“Don’t give in, Tim.” Jason shook his head. “It just makes him want to keep talking. He’s just having issues because you’re not coming home with us.”

“You know why-“

“I know.” Jason nodded. “I get it. B and I had our fair share of disagreements. If you don’t want to see him, you don’t have to.”

Tim scowled, looking down at where his coffee cup had been.

“Don’t you start getting all broody.” Jason warned, grabbing a new coffee cup out of the cabinet and filling it. “You’re more like B sometimes than you know. If you’re gonna start crying, go to the boyfriend.”

“I’m not going to cry.” Tim grumbled, accepting the new coffee cup.

“Uh-huh.” Jason said, ruffling Tim’s hair once more, moving into the living room.

“’m not gonna cry.” Tim mumbled again, looking over at Kon where he was standing. Kon took the hint and moved in to hug him, and true to his word, he didn’t. But he did bury his face in Kon’s shirt.

“Kon, I’m glad you’re my brother.” Jon said, and Kon reached across the counter to smack his arm.

* * *

 

The rest of the company wasn’t arriving until the afternoon, and Tim was just finishing getting ready at his vanity after his shower. The door was closed, and he was running a make-up sponge up and down his arms while Kon was flopped on his bed, watching him upside down. He was shirtless, and it was a nice sight.

“You’re staring.” Tim said, looking at Kon’s reflection.

“Uh-huh.” Kon said, smirking a bit. “Can you blame me?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re pretty cheeky there, mister.” Tim said with a laugh, tossing the sponge into his vanity drawer.

“That’s funny, usually you’re the cheeky one.” Kon chuckled, looking down at Tim’s ass, which was in some nice black skinny jeans.

“Alright, smart guy.” Tim said, turning around on his stool. “You think I’m so cute, come over here and prove it.”

“Gladly.” Kon said, rolling off of the bed and striding over to the stool, easily lifting Tim up into his arms. Tim’s thighs gripped at his hip as he kept one hand under his backside and one on his upper back.

“Well hi.” Tim giggled, cupping Kon’s face in his hands.

“Hi.” Kon said, stretching up to capture Tim’s lips in a kiss.

“Drake.” The two pulled back when Tim’s bedroom door opened suddenly, revealing Damian standing there.

“Damian!” Tim squealed, wiggling his way back to the floor. “You know the rules, you knock.”

“You also know the rules, you’re not supposed to close your door with your partner in here.” Damian said, raising an eyebrow.

“What do you want, Damian?” Tim asked, grabbing his polo off of the bed and yanking it on.

“Richard suggested I come talk to you.” Damian asked, striding to the vanity and sitting on the stool, and Kon returned to the bed to sink into the background.

“Okay, talk.” Tim said, crossing his arms.

“I want to apologize for being rude earlier. I understand that you and father have a strained relationship and that is not my business.” Damian mumbled, fiddling his thumbs in his laps. “I suppose I am simply irritated because we have not spent a holiday apart.”

Kon blinked.

“Dames, I’m sorry.” Tim sighed, uncrossing his arms. “I know, it’s always been at least you and me for Christmas.” He sat down on the vanity, taking one of Damian’s hands. “It’s just difficult for me right now.”

“I understand.” Damian nodded.

“It has nothing to do with you.” Tim shook his head. “It’s between Bruce and I, and I need some space away with him.”

“I understand.” He repeated.

“Okay. Go keep Jon company, okay?” Tim asked, leaning down to kiss Damian’s cheek. “Conner and I will be out in a minute.”

Damian didn’t say anything, but tilted his face up when Tim kissed his cheek, seeming to be used to people kissing his cheek, and got up from his seat to do what he was told, pointedly leaving the door open.

“I feel bad.” Tim said, climbing into bed. “He’s been missing me since I’m spending so much time with you.”

“You can always change your mind and go home with them for Christmas.” Kon said, running his fingers through Tim’s hair.

“I can’t.” Tim mumbled, curling around Kon’s torso. “I really don’t want to see him, Kon.”

“Okay.” Kon nodded. “Then you’ll come with me to Smallville and I’ll sacrifice some time with you so you can hang out with the son of Satan.”

Tim barked out a laugh.

* * *

 

Once the guests all arrived, the apartment turned into a mad house.

Roy had shown up with Lian, who was hyped up on sugar and running laps around the apartment, asking everyone to race her. Roy himself had gone upstairs to Jason’s bed to flop down and talk to his best friend like every other holiday.

Kori came not long after with an older woman with long black hair and a nice blouse and a younger man who had a tank top and a ball cap on backwards. She agreed to race Lian, letting her win a few times.

Artemis, and the security guard who Kon had learned was named Zaro, showed up right after them, the redhead engaging in conversation with the older woman.

Barbara came alone, giving Dick a very acceptable kiss on the cheek when he leaned in for a full on kiss, giggling and claiming no PDA in front of his niece.

Roy’s parents were after her, Dinah carrying a pie and Oliver carrying a plate of deviled eggs. Dinah was in a stunning dress and Kon understood why Jason made so many jokes about her to piss Roy off.

Finally Stephanie and Cassie showed up, and Kon greeted them both with a kiss on the cheek.

“You look handsome.” Stephanie said, looking him up and down. “Where’s Tim? I brought him something.”

“He’s in the kitchen with Dinah.” Kon said, then furrowed his brows. Stephanie giggled and followed his direction.

“She’s right, you look very nice.” Cassie said, taking off her coat, which Kon took. “Thanks.”

“Jon is in the living room if you wanted to say hi.” Kon said, heading to put the coat in Damian’s room.

Everyone in the main living space was full of chatter, and Kon was pretty happy with it.

This was his life, and all of these people were in it.

* * *

 

Jon was asleep on the couch after dinner, leaned up against Damian, who was also sleeping. Kon smiled and draped a blanket over him, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder.

“Yeah, Mom, he’s fine.” He said, adjusting so he could actually hold the phone. Everyone had dispersed, Oliver and Dinah taking off completely while all of Jason’s band mates and friends had gone up to the lost, along with Dick and Barbara. Lian was put to bed in Damian’s room, since she had worn herself out. And Tim, Stephanie, and Cassie were in Tim’s room, giggling about something.

_“Did you two have fun?”_

“Yeah, we did, Mom.” Kon nodded, turning off the lamp beside the couch. “He wore himself out and ate himself into a food coma.”

_“Aww. You boys used to fall asleep after holiday dinners all the time.”_

“Mom,” Kon whined, face heating up.

_“Your dad used to have to carry you both to bed. My sweet little boys.”_

“Mom, please.” Kon rolled his eyes. “I just wanted to wish you a happy Thanksgiving.”

_“You too, Honey. And let your brother know that, and that I love him very much.”_

“Okay, Mom.”

_“And I love you very much too, Honey. I wish I could have seen you.”_

“I know, Mom, I wish I could have seen you too.” Kon said, leaning back against the counter, watching the muted television.

_“God, I remember your first Thanksgiving-“_

“Mom-“

_“You were so happy to see your grandma and grandpa, you cried when we had to fly back home. All you wanted when we visited was Ma, you had the most pitiful look on your face when we left.”_

“Mom, I have to go.” Kon laughed, his face turning redder. His mom loved to talk about him as a baby, said he was her first so she remembered everything. “I love you.”

_“I love you too, baby. Give your brother a hug and a kiss for me and tell him I love him too.”_

“Will do, Mom.” Kon said, and hung up his phone, shoving it into his pocket. Damian and Jon hadn’t moved, both still fast asleep on the couch. Kon turned off the overhead light, though the lights in the loft were still on and giving the apartment a nice glow, and headed to Tim’s room.

“Babe!” Tim squealed from the bed where he was cradling a bottle of wine. “You didn’t tell me you lost your virginity in a barn. You’re such a hick, it’s so cute.” He giggled, wrapping his hands around the back of Kon’s neck as he walked up to the bed.

“Well I think you’re mighty fine, Darlin’” Kon said, slipping in the accent he had picked up a bit in high school. Tim dissolved into a fit of giggles, falling back onto the bed.

“Cassie was just telling us how you cried after you two had sex the first time.” Stephanie said, swirling around her glass of wine.

“I-I didn’t,” Kon started to argue, blushing furiously. He guessed technically there were a few tears. “It wasn’t really crying.”

“Aww, babe.” Tim said, getting back up on his knees to grasp at Kon again. “You’re so sensitive, aren’t you? Under this big strong chest.”

“I am not.” Kon scowled, looking over at Cassie, who was flushed and giggling the way she did when she was tipsy. “I was a young Christian boy who you corrupted and I was worried I was going to hell.”

“And you’re not worried about that now?” Cassie asked with a laugh, nodding at Tim, who was hanging off of Kon like a sugar glider.

“Well, I’m less concerned, I will say that.” Kon scoffed, wrapping his arms around the man.

“Sing me a song.” Tim said suddenly, and Kon blinked down at him.

“Huh?”

“You sang me a song before.” Tim said, tilting his head, and he heard a chorus of ‘Awwws’ from the girls.

“Tim,” Kon mumbled, eyeing them.

“You have a pretty voice.” Tim said, blinking up at him with those big blue eyes.

Kon sighed.

There was a song that sometimes reminded him of Tim when he heard it.

“I don’t dance,” He started to sing, bringing a hand up to cup Tim’s cheek. “But here I am, spinnin’ you ‘round and ‘round in circles.”

He looked over briefly and saw Steph and Cassie, hands over their hearts in awe.

“It ain’t my style, but I don’t care, I’d do anything with you anywhere,” Kon sang, and Tim blinked his eyes rapidly. “Yeah you got me in the palm of your hand, ‘cause I don’t dance.”

“Oh, how sweet.” Stephanie said, leaning against Cassie, who was sitting on the vanity.

Kon smiled a bit at Tim’s drunk tears welling up in his eyes, a tipsy smile on his own face. That song always reminded him of when Tim took him out to pick up women, and he ended up realizing he wanted this person in his life longer than any other woman at that bar. As a friend he thought at the time.

“I love you, Tim.” Kon mumbled, leaning down to give Tim a kiss.

“I love you too, Conner.” Tim said, rubbing his face into Kon’s shirt.

“That’s it, we’re going to pick up guys tomorrow night.” Cassie said, turning to Stephanie. The other blond nodded and clinked wine glasses.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of short, but I wanted to flesh out this newer, more adult relationship between Kon and Jon. Kon hasn't lived with Jon for almost 10 years, he moved out before his first year of high school, so he skipped a lot of the teenage relationship with Jon as he got older and more adult and probably more fun for Kon to hang out with. So now that they're both adult-ish, I think it's important to show that they've both grown, and now they kind of have to re-learn each other because they're different people from when Kon first moved out.

“So who did you come out to first?” Jon asked, shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. He and Kon decided to spend the day just hanging out in pajamas and relaxing since Tim was taking the day to spend with Damian. Kon was beside him in boxers and a t-shirt while Jon was in plaid pajama pants and a black hoodie.

“What’s with all the questions about this?” Kon asked, his own spoonful of cereal pausing on the way to his mouth.

“I don’t know.” Jon shrugged, and continued to eat. “Just curious, I guess.”

Kon scowled. He knew better, but he liked their closeness. Maybe that was it, he thought. They were getting to know each other again.

“Ma, actually.” Kon said. “I had been going back and forth in my head about what my attraction to Tim meant, if it was just some kind of fluke, and I kind of asked him out I guess? It wasn’t really intended to be a date but it ended up being one and I called Ma and I told her I thought I went on a date with a boy.”

“Hm.” Jon hummed. “Then mom?”

“Yeah, then mom.” Kon nodded.

The two sat in silence a bit longer, staring at the television, watching the morning news while they munched on their breakfast.

“Is there something that’s bugging you?” Kon asked, still not looking at his brother. This was how they could communicate with each other, no eye contact.

“I don’t know,” Jon shrugged. “I just haven’t really seen a girl I like at school so I was thinking maybe I might be like you.”

Kon blinked.

“You think you might like guys?” Kon asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t know.” Jon shrugged again, setting his empty bowl on the nightstand.

“Are you attracted to men?” Kon asked, turning towards his brother.

“I haven’t been, before. But you hadn’t before, either.” Jon said, looking down at his lap. “What if I like guys?”

Kon took a deep breath.

“Jonno, listen,” Kon said, turning his body fully, watched Jon turn his head towards him, bangs falling across his forehead. “Looking back, there were a lot of signs that I’ve always been this way.”

“Really?” Jon asked, voice small. “I was really little when you moved out, I don’t remember.”

“I never really fit in at school,” Kon sighed. “I didn’t have friends in high school, and I latched onto the first person who would even talk to me, which was Cassie. And I loved her, very much, still do, but in a different way. But what I’m trying to say is that just because you don’t like any of the girls at school, that doesn’t mean anything.”

“No?”

“You like Stephanie, don’t you?” Kon asked. “And Cassie?”

“Well, yeah, but they’re so beautiful.” Jon shrugged, looking down at his lap again. “I don’t know, I’m just confused, I guess.”

“Look, Jonno, you do whatever you want to do, I’ll be behind you one hundred percent. But if something doesn’t feel natural or okay to you, you don’t have to do it. Just because I like guys doesn’t mean you like guys.” Kon said, leaning his shoulder into the boy’s. “It’s fine if you do, but not two people are exactly alike.”

“I do like girls.” Jon nodded, pulling his legs in to sit Indian style. “I think they’re really pretty and stuff. But none of the girls at school are really fun to be around.”

“Are any of the guys really fun to be around?” Kon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jon took a deep breath.

“No.” He shook his head. “I mean, I hang out with the guys on like the football team or the baseball team, but they’re not really fun to hang out with. All they do is talk about porn and sex.”

“Don’t worry about that then, bud.” Kon said, wrapping an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “You know that we’ll be supportive if you are interested in guys, but if right now you’re not into either, that’s okay. You don’t have to be, it’s not a requirement for high school to want to date.”

“Okay.” Jon nodded, turning to look at Kon again. “Thanks, Conner.”

“No problem, buddy.” Kon smiled back at him.

* * *

 

“This is so cool.” Jon said, stepping out onto the beach. He had never seen the west coast, and it was a good time for him to finally see it.

“It is pretty cool.” Kon nodded, looking down at the pier. This was where he and Tim first really opened up to each other, and he hoped they could continue coming back to this beach.

Jon pulled his t-shirt off while Kon set out their stuff. They didn’t have much of it, but a cooler with a few bottles of water and sandwiches counted as stuff. Kon layed out their towels, picking up Jon’s shirt and folding it properly before setting it on his towel.

“Race ya to the water.” Jon said, already starting to run.

“Jon!” Kon yelled, trying to get out of his own shirt. Once he was able to toss it down, he took off running. He might have been taller but Jon sure as hell was faster. He guessed sports were good for something.

“You lose.” Jon said once Kon joined him.

“No fair, I don’t run.” Kon panted. He could throw hay bales all day, and he could sing his lungs out, but as soon as he had to run, he was exhausted and out of breath.

Jon pulled the squishy ball out of his pocket, taking a few steps away from his brother.

“Play catch with me.” He said, tossing it towards Kon, who was not prepared and got hit in the face.

“Okay, you’re dead.” Kon said, glaring at the boy, who simply grinned at him. He picked up the ball and chucked it as hard as he could, though he knew any aim he had would be a little off without his glasses.

But Jon’s would be too. So ha.

After an hour of throwing the ball back and forth, some throws very off, though only a few times on purpose, the two headed back onto shore, feeling pretty thirsty.

“Oh, hey, Mom texted me.” Jon said as he flopped down onto his towel, opening his phone. “She wants to know if were having fun and being nice to each other.”

“No, you’re a douche.” Kon said, feeling under his nose. Jon had at one point whipped the ball at him so hard his nose started bleeding. He would have to get him back for that when he could see straight. He reaffirmed that his nose wasn’t bleeding and slipped on his glasses.

“I didn’t mean to.” Jon groaned, rolling his eyes.

“I oughta send you home with a black eye.” Kon said, leaning closer to look at his phone while Jon put his own glasses on.

“Like to see you try.” Jon scoffed, holding up his phone to take a picture of the beach to send to their mother. “I should have sent Mom a picture of your bloody nose and freaked her out.”

“Send her a picture of us anyways.” Kon said, scooting over and putting an arm around the teen’s shoulders as he flipped his camera around.

They really did look alike in features. Their glasses brought it out that they had the same nose and face shape, though Jon’s hair made him look much younger and more like Lois.

“You look like a tool,” Jon scoffed, going to press the button. Before he did, Kon brought his hand up into Jon’s face, pushing his glasses up. The shutter sounded, and Kon snickered at the photo, reaching forward to hit send. “You dick.”

* * *

 

Kon hopped in the shower after the beach, finding that he had sand in some uncomfortable places. He may have been bigger and stronger, but no one wins in a sand fight.

The door to the bathroom opened and closed, and Kon furrowed his brows.

“Jon?” He asked. Jon was always good with knocking. They always had boundaries.

“Nope.”

Tim.

“Hey,” Kon said, poking his head out of the shower. Tim was fixing his hair in the fogged up mirror. “How was your day?”

“It was nice.” Tim nodded, turning around to face the shower. “I sent Damian and Jon down to the café to get us all coffee.”

“Does that mean we’re alone?” Kon asked, raising an eyebrow.

“For a little while, anyways.” Tim nodded again, hopping up on the counter. “Why?”

“Well it’s been like a week now.” Kon said, looking Tim up and down. “We could do stuff while they’re out.”

“Meet me out there when you’re done then.” Tim said with a smirk, flicking some hair back out of his face and sauntering out of the room.

Tease.

Kon finished up his shower, making sure most of the sand was rinsed down the drain, and stepped out to dry himself. With a towel around his waist, he headed out to the bedroom.

Tim was laying on the bed on his stomach, watching him.

“Well that’s a pretty picture.” Tim said, rolling over to get up.

“Thought it’d make things a little easier.” Kon shrugged and Tim walked over to him, wrapping his arms around his torso.

“It makes things more exciting, I’ll say that.” Tim giggled, standing on his toes for a kiss. Before he could pull more than an inch away, Kon was following him, pulling him in for another kiss. Tim’s tongue invaded his mouth, and Kon was starting to get hard under his towel.

“Gross!”

The two pulled back and saw Jon and Damian standing in the open doorway, holding their coffee.

“Drake, can’t you control yourself for once?” Damian asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m getting my own room next time I visit.” Jon said, screwing his eyes shut.

“Give me my coffee.” Tim laughed, sauntering forward to take the mug from Damian. “Kon will go get dressed.”

“Right.” Kon nodded, keeping his hand on the towel around his waist.

* * *

 

“Send me a text or something when you land, okay?” Kon asked, handing Jon his bag. “And make sure you let Mom know you’re leaving soon.”

“I will.” Jon nodded, shouldering the bag. “Are you coming home for Christmas?” He asked, hope in his eyes. Kon hadn’t actually been with his parents for Christmas in a few years, and Jon had probably missed that.

“I, uh, Tim and I are actually going home to Kansas for Christmas.” Kon said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ma and Pa can’t really afford to fly and-“

“I get it.” Jon nodded, pursing his lips. “Are you ever coming home?”

Kon blinked.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to be around Dad right now.” Kon shook his head. “Maybe if things settle down between the two of us, but not any time soon.”

“That sucks.” Jon sighed. “It’s been really cool having a brother again, you know?”

“I know.” Kon nodded. “You can come visit any time, I promise. But you know Dad and I-“

“I know.” Jon nodded.

“And hey, if you want to come out here for college, you can stay with me.” Kon said, shuffling his feet. “After Christmas, come out here for New Years, okay?”

“Okay.” Jon nodded again, a bit of a smile on his face. “I will.”

“We’ll have some fun.” Kon smiled back. He stepped forward finally to pull Jon into a hug, taking the younger by a bit of surprise. “Tell Mom and Dad I said hi.”

“He’s not mad at you, you know.” Jon said, taking a step back. “He’s just really hurt no one told him.”

“Well, I still think it’s best he and I don’t see each other right now.” Kon mumbled, and Jon nodded.

“I’ll text you when I land.” Jon said, turning towards security while Kon waved.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did so much research on farms and farm animals for this chapter guys, you have no idea. Also, Comet was a horse in the legion of super pets so.....tada. The more you know.

“It’s not too late to change your mind, Tim.” Dick said, tugging at Tim’s jacket, zipping it up for him.

“Dick, I can dress myself.” Tim scoffed, taking Dick’s hands off of him. “I have a plane to catch, okay? It’s just for a week.”

“But Tim-“

“Dick.” Tim said sternly. “I can’t right now, okay? It’s better if I’m just not there.”

“That’s not true and you know it.” Dick said, but still he took a step back. “You two have a safe flight. Let me know when you land.”

“We will.” Kon said, taking Tim’s hand and pulling him towards the security gate.

“He’s having a hard time with this.” Tim sighed as they got into the security line, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his driver’s license and plane ticket.

“He is right though, if you don’t want to come with me, I completely understand.” Kon said, following his lead and digging out his own wallet. “Ma and Pa would understand too, I promise.”

“No, I’m going with you.” Tim said with a smile. The flight was early enough that the airport was pretty empty. Tim didn’t anticipate their flight to be very early either since no one flies to Wichita.

“Okay.” Kon nodded, handing the security guard the documentation in his hand. The man scanned it and waved him through to the conveyer belts. Tim wasn’t far behind him, much more accustomed to traveling. He was in a t-shirt, basketball shorts, and sandals. Much easier to take off than Kon’s sneakers. The taller man slipped out of his belt, and Tim snickered at the buckle.

It was honestly too comically large to be worn unironically.

“You’re going to be freezing, I hope you know. Ma said it’s been colder than normal, even got a little snow.” Kon scoffed, stepping up to the scanners. He blinked at the diagram, trying to remember when he went through security last time. He didn’t fly often.

Once he was through and shoving his feet back into his shoes, Tim was jumping up into position in the body scanner, arms above his head. He looked entirely too used to this.

“I’ll be just fine. I grew up in Gotham, we get tons of snow there.” Tim scoffed, slipping into his shoes and grabbing his things. “You look like you’re sweating.”

“I am sweating.” Kon grumbled, kneeling down to tie his shoe. “But it’s cold in Kansas. And this is what I’d wear at home.”

“You look like you jumped out of a Nicholas Sparks movie.” Tim giggled, toying with Kon’s belt. Kon scowled and snatched it back. “Are you my strong ranch hand?”

“I am not a ranch hand.” Kon corrected as he slipped the belt through the loops on his jeans. “I am a farm hand. There’s a difference.”

“Educate me, oh simple farm boy.” Tim teased as they headed through the terminal.

“A ranch raises animals like sheep or cattle. A farm raises crops. We have two cows, but they’re dairy cows, not beef cattle. And Ma has a coop of chickens, but we don’t sell anything from them either.” Kon said, adjusting his flannel. Tim was right, it was hot, but it’d be cold once they arrived and he was prepared.

“Any other creatures I should know about?” Tim raised an eyebrow.

“Well the horses for one. Daisy and Lana are kinda feisty, but Comet is very tame. They’re out in the barn with the cows, Farah and Jezebel.”

“Farah and Jezebel?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t name them.” Kon shook his head. “You won’t have to worry about the chickens because Ma takes care of them, and they’re pretty much cooped for the winter. Only other critter running around is Krypto, the dog.”

“You have a zoo, don’t you?” Tim snickered, shouldering Kon.

“It’s called a farm.” Kon laughed. “And it’s not that many. If we had a ranch it’d be a lot more, trust me. Didn’t you say you guys had a lot of pets?”

“No, we didn’t. Damian did.” Tim pointed out. “After Dick and Jason moved out, Bruce let him get a dog because he was having a really hard time. He got this massive horse of a dog, Titus, and he died just before Damian moved out here.”

“Big dogs don’t live as long.” Kon shook his head.

“No, they don’t” Tim shook his head. “That damn cat is still alive. I hate that thing. His name is Alfred, after our butler, and all he does is steal my stuff. Teachers don’t buy the ‘my brother’s car took my homework and I can’t find it.’”

“If I were a teacher I probably wouldn’t either.” Kon shook his head. “Oh yeah, the barn cat. Streaky. He keeps the mice out.”

“Streaky?”

“Jon named him when he was a baby.” Kon shrugged. “Go on.”

“The freaking cow. We had one cow that Damian named bat-cow because the markings on his face look like a bat. We don’t have him on the grounds, but we pay for his feedings and Damian would visit him all the time and help take care of him at the place where he’s housed.” Tim explained. “And last I heard, Bruce rescued a really mean German Shepherd named Ace. Haven’t seen him though.”

“See? You have a zoo too.” Kon snickered, hopping onto the moving sidewalk.

“No. Damian has a zoo. I have cat scratch scars and a missing assignment for my geometry class.” Tim scowled, crossing his arms. “Freaking hate cats.”

“Well you won’t have to worry about Streaky. He never goes near people, we just leave out food and water for him. He’s not really much of a pet.” Kon laughed, tossing an arm around Tim’s shoulders. “Krypto’s  the only one you’ll have to go near.”

“Dogs are fine.” Tim shrugged. “Titus was fine. He just slobbered a lot. All over my lap, usually.”

“Well you won’t have to worry about that as much as you will hair. With all the black you wear, Krypto’s hair is almost white.” Kon said, stepping off of the conveyer belt and heading towards their gate.

Tim simply shrugged.

* * *

 

The two men hurried off the plane as quickly as they could. Kon knew Pa would be waiting, and it was still pretty early. The man would probably be asleep on some bench. Kon would probably drive them home.

“Conner, slow down.” Tim called after him, jogging to catch up.

“Sorry, I just want to get to Pa.”

“Excited to see them?” Tim asked with a laugh, taking Kon’s hand so he couldn’t get too far.

“Well yeah, but I want to find him before he conks out somewhere and gets mugged or something.” Kon said, trying to at least move a little faster.

“Okay, but don’t run in an airport, Conner, someone’s going to taze you.” Tim said as they approached the escalator down to baggage claim. “I really don’t want that to happen.”

“Right.” Kon nodded, pulling out his phone to turn it on. Tim already had, and was texting someone.

“Don’t forget-“

“I already told Dick we landed.” Tim said with a smirk. “He said they’ll be leaving in the morning for Gotham.”

“I can still send you out there you know.” Kon said, turning to capture Tim’s gaze. The shorter man leaned forward and gave him a kiss.

“I want to be here with you.” He said.

“Conner!”

The two turned as they approached the bottom and saw Pa standing there, waving at the two.

“Pa!” Kon shouted back with a wave, hopping off of the escalator and rushing forward to welcome the older man into his arms.

“Welcome home, boy.” Pa said, using all his strength to give him a hug back. “Let’s go get your bags.”

The three of them collected the suitcases. Kon insisted on carrying them both, though Tim knew his wasn’t exactly light. He didn’t travel light.

“Let’s get you home.” Pa said as they approached the truck. “Ma’s been driving me crazy getting the house ready for you two. She’s hardly slept all night.”

“You guys didn’t have to do anything special for me.” Kon said, tossing the bags into the bed of the truck.

“Your grandmother wants to make a good impression on Tim.” Pa sighed and shook his head, climbing into the driver’s seat. “I told her that no matter what we do, it’s not going to be a mansion.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Tim shook his head, letting Kon slide into the middle seat while he got in on the end. “I’m just thankful for your hospitality. I could just stay at a hotel-“

“Nonsense.” Pa waved him off as he started the truck, hearing it sputter to life. “We won’t hear of it. You’re family now, you stay with us.”

“Well thank you.” Tim said with a small blush. Kon bumped his knee into Tim’s in reassurance.

“But I must say, you best be prepared. That damned dog has been missing you something awful.” Pa said, pulling out of the parking garage. It was about an hour back to the farm, and it was just hitting sunrise. “Sleeps in your room. I even tried closing the door but he just lays there and whines.”

“I miss him too.” Kon nodded, and beside him, Tim shivered. “Cold?” Kon asked, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face.

“No.” Tim mumbled, narrowing his eyes.

“What’s the matter with you, boy?” Pa asked, cuffing Kon upside the head. “If he’s cold, give him your jacket.”

“Oh, no, I’m fine.” Tim shook his head, but Kon was already unbuttoning his flannel, leaving him in just his thermal shirt.

“Here.” Kon said, draping the warm fabric around Tim’s shoulders. “We’ve got a blanket in the back but it probably smells like the barn.”

“No this is fine.” Tim said, blushing. “Thank you.”

“I better not be hearing that all this city living has made your manners soft.” Pa said, side-eyeing Kon.

“No, sir.” Kon shook his head.

“You tell us if he’s not being a gentleman, you got that?” Pa asked, directing the question at Tim.

“He’s always a gentleman.” Tim smiled, leaning over to give Kon a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

 

Kon practically ran up the porch stairs to the farm house, but remembered what Pa had said and hurried around the truck to grab the bags first. By the time he had them in hand, the screen door was creaking open and Krypto was bounding across the yard for his owner.

“Krypto!” Kon shouted, kneeling down to set the bags on the ground and wrap his arms around the dog. “I missed you too, boy.” He said, letting Krypto jump up on him and lick his face, whimpering and tail thumping.

“Martha, get that damn dog!” Pa shouted from where he was getting out of the truck.

“Krypto!” Ma yelled, and the dog got down, standing beside Kon and wagging his tail, tongue dangling from the side of his mouth. Kon started towards the house with him trotting right beside him.

“Welcome home, Baby.” Ma said once Kon was up on the porch. He set the bags down again and pulled her into a strong hug. She was feeling so much smaller. He heard quick steps behind him and turned to see Tim standing there, arms wrapped around himself. “Oh, Honey, come inside, you must be freezing. Conner, why didn’t you tell him it was cold here?”

“I did-“ Kon started, but Pa stepped up behind him and grabbed him by the back of the neck, leading him towards the house.

“Go ahead and get settled in upstairs.” Ma said, taking the flannel from Tim. “I’ll get this in the wash. Conner, Honey, you show Tim to your dad’s old room, he’ll sleep there.”

“Okay.” Kon nodded, heading towards the stairs. “Right this way.” He said, and Tim giggled following after him with Krypto on their heels.

“Your grandparents are very nice.” Tim said as they walked down the hall, his head swiveling around to look at the pictures on the walls. “Is this you?” Tim asked, pointing to a picture of a little boy sitting on a horse, supported by Ma’s guiding hands.

“Yeah.” Kon nodded. “That was Joy, she passed a few years ago.”

“You were really cute.” Tim said, catching back up with his boyfriend.

“This is my dad’s old room.” Kon said, pushing the door open. It had been recently dusted, though everything else looked right out of his father’s yearbook. There was still a ‘Smallville High’ gold and red pennant hanging on the wall, as well as Star Wars posters and his mother’s senior picture sitting on the bedside table. “The bathroom is right across the hall, and my room is next door.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Tim nodded, taking his bag and heading over to the bed to unpack. He caught sight of the picture on the bedside table. “Your mom was really pretty.” He said.

“Well that’s nothing.” Kon scoffed, setting his bag down and heading over to the desk, pulling open the top right drawer. “He kept all of these in here.” He pulled out a small stack of pictures, some regular development, some polaroid. Kon’s favorite was on the top from the last time he had snuck in to look at them, his mother in a grey flannel shirt sitting on a fence post, looking out at the horses in the pasture, unaware that Clark was even taking her picture.

“Your dad sure does love your mom.” Tim said, smiling down at the pictured on the desk. “I think that’s really sweet.”

“Sometimes.” Kon shrugged. “Sometimes they’re kinda gross. Go ahead and get unpacked, alright? I’m going to do the same.” Kon gave Tim a quick kiss on the cheek and scooped up his duffle, heading for his room.

His own room hadn’t changed a bit, though there was some dog hair on his comforter. He specifically remembered telling Krypto he wasn’t allowed on the bed since there was no room. Said dog was laying on the rug, his tail thumping with excitement that his master was home.

“I know, boy.” Kon said, leaning down to scratch him behind the ear. He tossed his bag onto the bed and started unpacking, though he didn’t have much. He didn’t take all of his clothes with him to LA, so a lot of them were still in his closet.

He quickly unpacked the few clothes he had, slipped into a new flannel shirt. He took a quick glance around his room at the band posters, the cork board of letters from Mom and doodles from Jon when he was little. There were a few pictures tacked up there of he and Cassie. He made a mental note to take those down and put them away.

Then he remembered.

He hurried over to his bed and reached between the mattress and box spring where he stashed two pictures that Cassie had mailed to him in a letter.

She was entirely nude in those photos.

Kon sat down on his bed and gazed at them. He had been so excited when she sent them, happy to have something physical to look at. She was so beautiful, and he had hidden these for years. He didn’t take them to LA because he was so excited to have the real thing that he forgot they existed.

Suddenly, his door was creaking open, and he stuffed them under the pillow as quickly as he could.

“Whatcha doing?” Tim asked with a laugh.

“Nothing.” Kon blushed, but Tim raised an eyebrow at him and Kon sighed. “I forgot I had some pictures of Cassie here.”

“Oh?” Tim raised his other eyebrow, stepping into the room fully and shutting the door.

“Yeah. I should probably give them back to her.” Kon said, pulling them out again. She really was beautiful, and he didn’t want them to fall into the wrong hands. He stuffed them into one of the pockets on his duffle before he slid the bag under his bed.

“Didn’t know you were a dirty pictures kinda guy.” Tim giggled, sitting on the bed beside him.

“Well, I-“ Kon sputtered, trying to form a coherent sentence. “I’m not….not.” He mumbled.

“Hm.” Tim hummed. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.” He leaned over and gave Kon a kiss on the lips, something they hadn’t done since landing.

“Boys! Breakfast!”

Kon pulled back from the kiss with a small sigh.

“We’re not going to get much time alone here, just so you know.” Kon said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“That’s okay.” Tim pat his knee and they got up from the bed, heading out the door with Krypto right behind them.

* * *

 

Breakfast was a wonderful spread of eggs, pancakes, bacon and toast, which was something Kon hadn’t had since moving away. He used to start his day with a big breakfast, but now he was lucky to get a bagel.

“Eat up, boys, there’s still plenty more.” Ma said, reaching over to cup Kon’s jaw in one of her hands. “You’ve gotten skinnier since you moved.”

“Ma-“ Kon whined, but she waved him off.

“Besides, you’ve got to get some more meat on your bones. You’ve still got chores here, young man.”

“Of course.” Kon nodded. “I’ll go out and milk the cows after breakfast.”

“Let the horses out of the barn too. They need some time out in the pasture. And make sure that cat has water.” Ma said as she cleared her own plate.

“Ma, I can do the dishes.” Kon said, starting to get up and help her.

“Nonsense, I’ll handle the breakfast dishes. You finish up and get your behind out to the barn.” Ma said, pointing out the back door with a spatula.

“Yes, ma’am.” Kon nodded.

“Tim, dear, I want you to feel like a guest here-“

“I don’t mind helping.” Tim shook his head, clearing his plate from the table and bringing it over to the sink. “I’ll dry.” He said, grabbing the towel off of the counter and picking up the wet, but clean, dishes.

“Go on out there now, boy.” Pa said, nodding towards the back door. “Listen to your grandmother.”

“Sure thing.” Kon nodded, hurriedly clearing his plate and slipping into his boots that had stayed right beside the back door.

He made his way out to the barn, hoping that the heaters were on because it was a little on the chilly side. Krypto followed him, much more eager to see if he could chase the cat than get table scraps. Which Kon absolutely never fed him.

Kon muscled the old door open, figured those wheels needed a good greasing, and let himself into the barn. It was a bit warmer than outside, which meant the heaters were on. They didn’t help much, but enough that the animals didn’t freeze.

He stooped to pick up the ceramic bowl, which had some kinda dirty water in it, and head over to the sink attached to the wall, rinsed it out and refilled it before setting it back beside the half full bowl of food.

He moved on to check on the cows, each of whom seemed fine, and Farah huffed at him.

“Hey girls.” He said, reaching into their pen. They had one side of the barn together, while the other side was split to three stalls for the horses. Jezebel lumbered up to him, and he stood on the wooden bar holding the door together to reach her and scratch the top of her head. “I’ll be back later to let you out for some pasture time.”

Luckily it wasn’t too cold out. There was hardly any snow anymore, and it would be good for everyone to get out into the fresh air and sunshine.

Kon moved over to the other side of the barn and started at Lana’s stall. Her ears pricked forward and she snorted at him, backing herself closer to the corner.

“It’s okay, Lana. It’s me girl. Remember me?” Kon asked. Lana had been a rescue horse they had gotten after Joy, technically his but she was afraid of men and took much more to Ma and Lois. Kon opened the stall door and clicked at her. She seemed to calm down as he led her out to the back gate of the barn, opening it to let her out.

He moved on to Daisy’s stall, and she pawed at the door, giving him a small huff. He reached up and ran his hand down between her eyes.

“Hey girl.” Kon said, scratching the side of her head. “Let’s head out.”

Daisy went without protest, trotting out to the pasture to join her friend.

That only left Comet.

“Hey,” Kon turned at the voice and saw Tim standing at the front of the barn.

“Careful, don’t want to spook them.” Kon said, motioning him over as he pushed Daisy’s stall door shut. “I just have to let Comet out. The girls are already out.”

Tim smiled and jogged over to him, walking with him over to the last stall where the white horse was standing, nickering at them.

“Hey, boy.” Kon said, reaching up to pet the beast. He was one of Joy’s colts, and Kon had begged Ma to keep him. “This is Tim, can you say hi?”

Comet reached out and huffed a bit, trying to sniff Tim, who took a small step back.

“He’s not going to hurt ya, babe.” Kon laughed. “Pet him right here, he likes that.”

Tim timidly reached out and pet the horse between his eyes, and he leaned as far forward as he could with the stall door still in the way.

“See? I told you, he’s the tame one.” Kon smiled, reaching for the gate latch. “Ready to go, boy?” Comet nodded, and Kon laughed.

“Alright, smart guy.” He yanked open the stall door, and Comet lumbered out the pasture, showing off like the stallion he thought he was, showing off for the two girls. Never mind that he was a gelding. He wasn’t aggressive or too male anymore, but he still liked to strut in front of Daisy and Lana.

“He’s pretty tall.” Tim said, watching him trot around the pasture.

“Horses are tall, Tim.” Kon chuckled. “I still have to milk the cows if you want to help me.”

“I have no clue how to do that.” Tim blinked at him.

“What? Never milked batcow?” Kon asked with a laugh as he went for the metal pail by the cow’s stall.

“I don’t think he’d like it too much if someone tried to milk him.” Tim scoffed, following after Kon.

“It’s pretty easy if you’d like to try.” Kon shrugged, opening the gate. Jezebel came strolling out, always much more eager to interact with people than Farah. Kon moved her over to the station they had set up in the corner and tied her up so she couldn’t move. He started cleaning her off, and Tim watched in awe.

“What?” Kon asked, eyeing him as he toweled off the creature in front of him, sitting down on the stool.

“I just,” Tim shrugged, honestly at a loss for words. “I’ve never seen you so sure of yourself.”

“Well I’ve been here since I was 13.” Kon shrugged as he started milking the cow. “And I used to help Dad with the chores when we’d visit before then.”

“It’s pretty cool.” Tim said, leaning back against one of the stalls. “I’m usually the one who really knows what they’re doing.”

“Well, you’re on my turf now, city boy.” Kon said, tossing a smirk over his shoulder. “This is going to take a while, though. If you want to learn, I could have you start on Farah.”

“Yeah, okay.” Tim nodded, and Kon smiled.

“Alright, come sit here.” Kon nodded towards the cow, and Tim came over. “Why don’t you take over Jezebel? Farah is a bit more ornery. Just sit here and keep doing this. You’ll probably get two pails from her.” Kon said, getting up from the stool he was sitting on. Tim took his spot and reached under the cow, Kon’s hands guiding him, showing him exactly what to do.

“Okay, I think I’ve got it.” Tim nodded.

“Okay. I’ll get the other one.” Kon said, giving the crown of Tim’s head a kiss before heading over to get Farah.

Kon didn’t realize how much he missed farm life until he looked back and saw Tim in an oversized flannel, one of his, with his sleeves rolled up, doing farm work. Maybe they could have this one day.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEFORE YA'LL ASK:  
> 1) I based this bar off of two bars I know and have been to. I grew up in small town usa, and there was a restaurant that was 2 buildings in one with a restaurant on one side and a bar on the other. Only decent place to get dinner in town.   
> 2) Yes, the other bar really does square dancing one night a week. There's routines that all of the regulars know, if you're brave, you just jump in. I've only gone twice because a friend of mine wanted to and it was terrifying (and I actually like country music). And yes, there also is a mechanical bull. I watched two drunk sisters ride it at once. The even handed me their phone to film them.   
> 3) if you haven't grown up in a small town, yes, everyone does know everyone. I know local business owners because I went to school with their kids. I imagine if Ma and Pa never left town, everyone knows them.   
> 4) No one leaves. Kon was what we considered a 'lucky one' who escaped the little town with nothing to do but drink. Most don't leave the area.   
> 5) There's some sex ahead so...be warned.

The first night for dinner, Ma wanted to cook and celebrate the boys being home. But the stove had other plans.

“Damn old thing won’t light.” Ma said, trying to turn the knob a few more times, not even hearing it click anymore.

“I’ll look at it tomorrow, Martha. You know it has a temper.” Pa said from the table where he was reading the paper.

“Well that’s great for tomorrow but we have to feed these boys.” Ma said, motioning to the two men who were watching from living room doorway. When Ma started cursing, they had come in to investigate.

“Let’s take them out for dinner.” Pa suggested, folding the paper and setting it down. “We haven’t been out to dinner in a long time.”

“I suppose.” Ma sighed, resting her hand on the stove. “I’ll go freshen up.” Ma said, untying her apron and striding past the boys.

“I’ve been saving up to get us a new stove,” Pa started, looking down at the table. “All our money we get from selling the extra milk I put away. But I had to use some of it to fix the barn. Windstorm got it good, and I had to get a slew of new shingles up there.”

“Pa, do you need some extra money?” Conner asked, stepping over to the table. “I don’t have much, but I don’t need much-“

“Don’t even think about it, boy.” Pa waved him off. “That’s your hard earned money, you keep that. I don’t have much left to save, but the longer we wait the more money I have to put into fixing that old thing.”

“Well if you need any help, we’re here to help.” Kon said, reaching out to pat the man’s hand.

“I’d be more than happy to give you the money for a new stove,” Tim said, finally speaking up by the door. The two men whipped around to gawk at him. “I have more than enough.”

“Listen, I know you and your family make a lot of money,” Pa said. “But we don’t want to take no handouts.”

“I really don’t mind, honestly.” Tim shook his head, but before he could continue, Ma came back through the kitchen door, still in her floral dress but with a nice jacket instead of an apron.

“Let’s go eat, boys.” She said, motioning them towards the back door.

* * *

 

Tim wanted to laugh when he saw the restaurant.

The short car discussion of where to go for dinner led him to the conclusion that there were only two restaurants: Ken’s Country Kitchen, which served breakfast all day, and Charlie’s, which was inexplicably western themed.

The name was on the wall in cursive, spelled out with rope.

Tim honestly wanted to laugh.

“Sorry we don’t have many options here.” Ma said as they slid into the booth. The seats were burgundy, and felt like plastic, but Tim assumed they were easily 25 years old.

“Can I start you guys out with something to drink?” Their waitress asked. She was in jeans and a flannel, and Tim assumed that was some kind of uniform.

Everyone placed their drink orders, and once the blond woman left, they started perusing the menus.

This restaurant had a little bit of everything it seemed. There were sandwiches, soups, chicken tenders, burgers, steak, fish, pasta, and even personal pizzas. The cheap, laminated menu pages were curling in the corners, and the light from the pendant above them cast a glare on the page.

He thought he had decided on a sandwich that sounded good, but then he heard a lot of whooping coming from behind the wall beside him.

“What is that?” He asked.

“That’s the bar side over there.” Kon said, and he turned to point to the opening a few booths behind them. “This side is the restaurant. They’ve got music and dancing and stuff over there. Mechanical bull, too.”

“We made Ma here ride that for her 50th birthday.” Pa snickered, and Ma gently smacked his arm.

“The boys forced me. Got themselves a good laugh.” She explained.

“Why don’t we go over there and get a drink after dinner?” Kon asked Tim, crossing his arms on the table.

“You boys’ll have to walk home.” Pa said, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s not too cold.” Kon shrugged. “You up for it?”

“Sure.” Tim shrugged. He and Stephanie always liked going out to clubs, and he assumed this was as close to a club as this area got.

The waitress came back to take their orders, and Tim ordered the sandwich after all.

* * *

 

The bar side was nothing like a club, Tim decided.

The bar itself was wood, and everyone at it was drinking a beer from a bottle. There was a pool table and juke box over by the bathrooms, playing strictly top country hits throughout the bar. There were a few high top tables over by the front of the building, and the center attraction was a padded pen with a mechanical bull right beside a dance floor.

“I feel like I’m in a country music video.” Tim said as he slid onto the bar stool. The bar tender came over to them, a young woman in a flannel button up and tight, sparkly jeans.

“What can I get for you boys?” She asked.

“I’ll just have a Bud.” Kon said, pulling out his wallet and scowling at the few bills. Tim pulled his credit card out of his pocket and slapped it on the bar.

“And a sex on the beach. Please.” Tim said, giving Kon a smile.

“Thanks for that.” Kon said, putting his wallet away. “I’m getting a bit short on cash and whatnot.”

“Well lucky for you, I am a certified sugar daddy.” Tim said with a laugh.

“Does that make me a sugar baby?” Kon asked, laughing back as the bar tender came back with their drinks. Tim took a sip and scowled.

“This is strong.” He said, feeling the drink warm him.

“Is that good or bad?” Kon asked, taking a swig of his beer.

“You might get a nice romp in the hay if that’s what you’re asking.” Tim giggled, taking another sip, chewing on the straw. Before Kon could open his mouth to respond, someone from across the bar called his name.

“Conner!”

The pair turned and saw a group of young women waving at them, waving them over, including an enthusiastic looking blond woman.

“Who are they?” Tim asked as they got up.

“Some girls I knew in high school.” Kon shrugged, leading the way over. Once getting closer to the table, the blond jumped up and hugged Conner.

“Hey!” She said, and Tim could tell she had been drinking heavily.

“Hey.” Kon said.

“What are you doing back in town?” The girl asked as she sat back down with her friends.

“I’m just back for the holidays.” Kon shrugged.

“Who’s your friend?” She asked, giving Tim a flirty side-eye.

“Oh, this is my friend Tim.” Kon said, turning to the man standing behind him. Tim scowled slightly inside, but tried not to let it show. “Tim, this is Kara, Claire, and Linda.”

“Hi.” Tim said, offering a small wave.

“He’s cute, Conner.” Kara said. “You have a girlfriend?”

Tim blinked.

“Uh-“

“He’s seeing someone.” Kon shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Aww,” one of the girls cooed.

“Too bad.” The other said.

“Hey, you two should come out tomorrow night. It’s line dancing night.” Kara said, leaning over the table. Her cleavage was so obviously out in her low cut tank top, and Tim felt a wave of jealousy flow through him.

“Yeah, that sounds like fun.” Kon nodded. “We’re going to get back to our drinks, though.” Kon said, holding up his beer bottle that was half empty by this point. Tim started sucking on his straw, chewing it in a way less sexy way than he had been before.

“Cool. See you then.” Kara gave him a flirty wave, turning back to her friends.

Kon did his own turn and started back towards the bar, taking another swig of his beer.

But Tim was still fuming. Who were those girls? And why did he introduce Tim as his friend? He didn’t even mention that Kon was the one he was seeing. He felt flushed for a totally different reason.

“Actually, Kon,” Tim said as he set his empty drink down on the bar. “I think I just want to head back.”

“Oh. Okay.” Kon nodded, setting his empty bottle down.

The boys left the building through the back door, starting down the road in the chilly night. Kon was still bundled in his flannel, but after chores Tim had changed into a t-shirt and thin hoodie that wasn’t entirely warm.

“Everything okay?” Kon asked as they walked down the side walk towards the outskirts of town. He kicked a rock out in front of him.

“Who were those girls again?” Tim asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Just some girls I graduated with.” Kon shrugged. “Some cheerleaders.”

“Oh.” Tim mumbled, watching Kon kick the rock forwards some more.

“Why?” Kon asked, but Tim didn’t respond. The sidewalk vanished, and the road changed from pavement to dirt. They started walking on the road, dust kicking up around them.

“Tim?” Kon asked, avoiding a pot hole.

“Are you embarrassed by me or something?” Tim asked, stopping suddenly. Kon noticed a few steps later and turned around.

“Why would you think that?” Kon asked, furrowing his brows.

“I’m your friend who’s seeing someone?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow. “Let’s just get back, it’s freezing out here.”

“No, Tim, wait.” Kon said, grabbing his arm as he tried to pass. “I’m not embarrassed by you.”

“Then what is it?” Tim asked, crossing his arms.

“Babe, listen.” Kon took a deep breath. “I-I’m not out yet. I mean, I am, but here, I’m still just the guy who ran off to LA to chase some girl. I just, I’m sorry.”

“Kon, it’s like you went backwards.” Tim shook his head. “I’ve never seen you like this before.”

“Look, Tim, you’ve always been in a big city. Here, being gay isn’t something that’s super accepted. Let alone being bi. I’m just, I’m scared. I don’t know what people are going to say to us, or to Ma and Pa about us.” Kon sighed, wrapping his arms around Tim’s waist.

“Do you really care?” Tim asked softly. Kon sucked in a breath.

“I care about you. I love you.” Kon mumbled. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”

“I understand.” Tim mumbled as he leaned his head on Kon’s chest. “I guess I’m just not used to this.”

“This is where I’m from. I know it’s not the biggest  place or the most open minded, but it’s home.” Kon said, giving the crown of Tim’s head a kiss. “People aren’t the nicest, and I don’t want them to say anything to you, or about you.”

“People have said things to and about me all my life.” Tim said, looking up. “I can handle it.”

“Okay.” Kon nodded. “Let’s get back, it’s kind of cold.”

* * *

 

The following night, they did decide to go back to the bar, just the two of them. Tim couldn’t believe there actually was line dancing.

“Want a drink?” Kon asked, glancing around the packed bar.

“Sure.” Tim shrugged. He felt like alcohol was necessary for whatever this was. Kon hustled off to the bar while Tim tried to blend in. He was wearing another flannel, Kon told him it would be a good idea, and a pair of jeans and ankle boots. He didn’t own cowboy boots, and he would have stuck out like a sore thumb without some kind of boot.

The dance floor was packed. Everyone was stepping, kicking, and stomping simultaneously, though some seemed to flub their footwork a bit more than others.

“Here.” Kon said, scooting his way back over to Tim, handing him a glass.

“What is this?” Tim asked, scrunching up his nose.

“Jack and coke.” Kon said over the music. Tim took a sip and coughed a bit.

“This tastes unsophisticated.” He said, trying another sip.

“Nothing here is sophisticated.” Kon laughed, taking a swig of his beer. He grabbed Tim’s hand and started pulling him towards the dance floor. They stood towards the edge of it, not ready or drunk enough to start dancing, drinking their drinks.

Kon was dressed in his dirty jeans, a blue and white flannel, cowboy boots and a grey baseball cap that he had worn out on the pasture that morning.

“Is this how you always dress?” Tim asked, tilting his head. Kon blinked down at him and nodded to the dance floor.

“Everyone does. The clothes protect you from hay and the sun, and the hat keeps the sun out of your eyes.” Kon shrugged. “Besides, I’d stick out like a sore thumb if I didn’t dress like this.”

Tim nodded, downed the rest of his drink, and set it down on a nearby table.

* * *

 

It took about four drinks to get Tim out onto the dance floor, and his boots weren’t as loud as everyone else’s, but he didn’t care too much. He was stomping, kicking, and ball-changing in time with the others on the floor with Kon’s hat on his head backwards.

The song was saying something about playing chicken with the train, and the moves were fast paced, but still pretty easy for Tim at least. Kon sat out during the more difficult ones, but he tried the simpler ones that didn’t require a lot of turning or fancy foot work.

Tim shot him a smile while he sashayed in a box step.

He kept dancing with the group. Despite the music being garbage to his ears, the dancing itself was pretty fun. He always did choreographed dancing pretty easy, was raised with ballroom dance lessons as a child and found himself to be quite good at it, but never got to put that to much use since most of the clubs he went to were just regular night clubs.

He glanced over again as the song came to a close and saw Kon chatting with an older man at the table. He took a quick break to sashay over towards him and slink up to his side.

“Tim, this is the owner of the bar, Rich Huvare.” Kon said, motioning to the man. “He and Pa are friends. Mr. Huvare, this is my boyfriend Tim.”

“Nice to meet you, Tim.” The man stuck his hand out and Tim returned the gesture.

“Likewise.”

“I was just asking Conner here if he’d like to play tomorrow night. We’re always looking for acts on Fridays.” Rich said, patting Kon on the back. “I’ll pay ya.”

“You should do it.” Tim nodded, adjusting the hat on his head.

“I think I will.” Kon nodded, taking a swig from his beer.

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow night then. You boys have fun.” The man said, nodding to the two of them before heading off and chatting with one of the waitresses running drinks around.

“Guess I have a gig.” Kon said, grinning down at Tim. “Haven’t had one of those in a while.”

“Come dance with me.” Tim giggled, pulling on Kon’s arm until they were both back out on the dance floor, the song saying something about rain, Tim couldn’t comprehend well.

But he sure could dance, and Kon laughed trying to follow what his feet were doing. Tim guessed he knew the song, too, because he was singing it under his breath while they stomped. He didn’t catch everything, but he did hear ‘whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky,’ and damn is that wasn’t the truth.

* * *

 

The walk back was full of a few stumbles and a lot of giggling. Tim had drunk way more than Kon, and he was so small it didn’t take much until he was all flushed and happy.

Kon thought about carrying him up and tucking him into bed as they stumbled up the driveway, he was still pretty coherent, but Tim’s wandering hands kept _grabbing_  him.

“Babe, Ma and Pa are gonna see us,” he laughed, pushing Tim’s hand away from his back side and turning so he could face the man fully.

“They’re probably asleep.” Tim giggled. “You’re so cute in your farm clothes.” He reached out again until he was flush against Kon’s chest, curling the tips of his fingers around his belt. Kon felt his face heating up.

He had an idea.

“Follow me.” He said, walking right past the front walk and heading for the barn out back. He pushed through the side door and waited for Tim to stumble after him.

“Where are you taking me?” Tim asked, glancing around at the quiet barn, the car asleep on a blanket that covered a bale of hay.

“We’re going up to the loft.” Kon said, heading for the stacks of hay bales. “Come on.”

Kon ended up having to help Tim up there more than he thought. There was a ladder they could use, but it was folded up and Kon always found the hay bales much easier and quicker. Not when Tim was drunk though.

Once they finally got to the loft, Kon wove them through the stuff that was up there for storage. The house wasn’t very big, and farm equipment had to go somewhere. This was where they kept it all, and some extra storage from the house.

Including the old living room couch.

“It’s not much, but it’s not hay either.” Kon said with a shrug. Tim wasted no time, standing on his toes to kiss him and unbuttoning his shirt.

“You’re so hot.” Tim breathed against his lips.

“You’re so drunk.” Kon giggled, reaching down to undo his belt.

“I might be a little intoxicated.” Tim said, fumbling with the buttons on his own shirt until Kon reached out to help him. “You ever bring Cassie up here?”

“Nah.” Kon shook his head. “They only got a new couch last year, this hasn’t been up here for long.”

“Good.” Tim nodded, giving Kon a push until he stumbled over the arm of the couch and landed flat on his back.

“Babe-“ He started, but Tim was crawling over him, throwing his shirt who knows where.

“I want you.” Tim whispered, leaning down to give him another kiss. Kon couldn’t deny that, and he ran his hands over Tim’s jean-clad posterior. He’d never get tired of the man’s ass in tight jeans. He pulled until he could feel Tim buck down against him, getting a moan out of him.

“Off.” Tim panted, tugging on the waistband of Kon’s jeans, fingers brushing the now exposed skin of his abdomen. His shirt wasn’t even all the way off, just open. Kon chuckled and reached down to help, going as slow as he dared to tease Tim. The shorter man whined, trying to buck down against him again.

“Easy, killer.” Kon laughed, getting his jeans off finally, much to Tim’s delight. The man leaned down to pull Kon’s boxer briefs down, taking his cock into his mouth. Kon let out a moan. “You’re so good at that.” He breathed.

Tim looked up at him with those ink-black eyes he got when he was really turned on, and Kon had to control his breathing. But then he thought of one problem.

“Babe, I don’t have lube out here.” Kon shook his head. Not that they couldn’t do other stuff. He also didn’t have a condom, though they’d done it without one once or twice and it wasn’t really an issue.

“Why do you think I’m doing this?” Tim asked with small laugh as he pulled off, then blew a bit onto Kon’s cock. It sent a shiver down the taller man’s spine.

“Is that going to be enough?” Kon asked as Tim got up and started undoing his own pants with shakey hands.

“I’ll be fine.” Tim nodded, finally getting the button and not even bothering with the zipper, just forcing them over his hips. Again, Kon noticed, no underwear. It seemed to be a trend for Tim.

“If you’re sure.” Kon nodded, putting his hands on Tim’s hips as he climbed back up onto his lap. He reached down and impatiently lined his cock up until he could slowly sink down on it.

“Fuck,” Kon breathed, tilting his head back. “Fuck you feel good.”

Tim nodded as he slowly started going up and down, riding Kon as quickly as his body allowed.

It had easily been a week since the last time the two of them had sex, and for them that was a long time, and Tim always got really handsy when he was drunk, it almost guaranteed that they would be having a really nice time later on.

Kon couldn’t get over the man that was on top of him, the beautiful skin, the flushed chest and face, the big, dark eyes, even all the little scars on his thighs. He didn’t hide them for Kon anymore, not when he was the only one seeing them.

He felt his orgasm slowly building, as it usually did when he had been drinking, and started thrusting up to meet Tim’s thrusts. Their drunk sex was usually really good because it lasted much longer.

“Conner,” Tim keened, throwing his head back, exposing his neck. Kon couldn’t help himself, he sat up and clamped down on Tim’s neck, kissing and sucking as much as he could without leaving anything behind. He could feel Tim’s cock rutting up against his abs, leaving wet trails of precome behind.

“You look so good like this.” He mumbled into Tim’s neck, moving up to nibble on Tim’s ear. “I just want to see you like this every day.”

“God, keep talking.” Tim panted, forcing himself down harder.

“I want to take you up to my room every day, lay you down, and fuck you until come without me even touching you.” Kon breathed, moving back down his neck. “Can you come for me, baby?”

“I want to, Conner, please.” Tim pleaded, gripping Kon’s shoulders hard. Kon smirked and moved one of his hands down Tim’s chest, playing with one of his nipples until it turned red.

“I wanna come in you so bad.” Kon whispered, nibbling at Tim’s ear again, something the man seemed to really enjoy as he let out a groan. “Remind you that you’re mine.”

“Please, please,” Tim whined, moving his hips down harshly to grind against Kon’s abs at a different angle. “Touch me, please.”

Kon did was he was asked and left his nipples alone, instead taking his cock in his hand, letting Tim thrust in and out of his fist and fuck himself back on Kon’s dick.

“God you’re so hot.” Kon panted, nuzzling at the skin of Tim’s shoulder. “You’re so sexy when you lose control.”

“Fuck, Kon,” Tim panted, his breath coming quicker and losing his rhythm, torn between wanting to feel Kon nestled deep inside of him and thrusting into his fist. “I’m so close, Kon.”

“Then come for me, Tim. I want to see how beautiful you are.” Kon mumbled, leaning in to nibble his ear again.

“Oh, fuck,” Tim cried, his hips moving sporadically as he came over Kon’s stomach and fist, clamping down on him so tight that Kon lost his control and came so hard his vision blurred.

“Fuck, Tim,” Kon panted, hiding his face in Tim’s shoulder.

“I needed that.” Tim mumbled, leaning back a little. Kon did the same, taking in the fact that his cap was still backwards on Tim’s head, his little strands of hair sticking out from the band.

“Yeah, me too.” He whispered, leaning forward to kiss him softly.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, the next chapter will finally hit Christmas. I had so much for them to do over this little trip. I haven't had Tim explore his past with his mom much, and I feel like seeing Kon's many maternal figures would get to him a bit. I had his mention it once while drunk that he thought his mom would be disappointed, but I didn't elaborate too much. Also, that's why Tim likes it so much when Kon sings to him. And if you know all the songs, I applaud you because I don't think anyone knows country music like me.

The following night was no less crowded at the bar, but there wasn’t anyone square dancing on the floor, just a chair placed there with a mic stand.

Tim and Conner came early to set up, Kon in yet another flannel, this one grey and yellow, and Tim in a simple t-shirt and jeans. It was one of his favorite t-shirts because it fit him like a glove, and he felt good in it, just an old, faded Gotham City Knights shirt, the one he had worn when he first asked someone out. It gave him confidence.

“I’m going to start sound check, go grab yourself a drink.” Kon said, leaning down to kiss him. Tim grabbed him by the belt loops and smiled against his lips.

“Trying to get me drunk again?”

“That’s all on you, babe.” Kon chuckled, heading towards the dance floor with his guitar. Tim turned and made a beeline for the bar and ordered himself a simple soda, wanting to wait and see if he felt like drinking.

He was still a little sore from the previous night, but they could always do other stuff if he got that needy again.

Ma and Pa had agreed to come later on once the show started, wanting to see their grandson performing. Tim had sat with him all day while he figured out his set, and while he hadn’t heard of most of the songs Kon wanted to cover, he knew his originals pretty well.

It was exciting though. He hadn’t gotten to see Kon perform for people in a while, and it was always exciting.

The crowd started to grow as the night went on, and Tim abandoned his bar stool to be closer to the dance floor where Kon was chatting with Rich. He didn’t get close enough to hear, but he was close enough that Kon could see him and shot him a wink while he carried the conversation.

After a little bit more talking and tuning, Rich leaned forward into the mic.

“Alright everyone, please welcome our special guest, and our home town favorite, Conner Kent.” Rich said, and the bar erupted in applause as the man stepped back from the floor, allowing Kon to step up to the microphone.

“Well for those who don’t know me, I’m Conner. For those that do, ya’ll know who I am.” Kon said, and Tim chuckled. “Before I start my set, I’d like to thank Rich for inviting me out tonight, let’s give the guy a hand.” He said, urging the audience to clap for the owner who was sitting at the bar beside Ma and Pa. “And I’d just like to dedicate this show to someone pretty special to me. You know who you are.” Kon said, shooting another wink in Tim’s direction.

He thought he might faint.

“Well, I walk into the room,” Kon started, and the girls in the bar started screaming. Whatever song it was, Tim guessed it was popular. He knew why, if it was about riding a cowboy, the girls there would love it.

He sang a few of his originals, which Tim swayed to, excited to hear them sung in front of people, and a few covers which Tim didn’t know but everyone else did.

“It’s a 3 day drive if she drives all night, says she’s leavin’ at the crack of dawn,” Kon sang, and the audience burst out into cheers with the music. Tim tried to listen to the words and heard the hurt in Kon’s voice. If the lyrics were anything to go by, it reminded him of his first love, and that was still a tough thing for him.

“She’s in love with California, and that west coast sunshine dream, these ain’t no Hollywoods and these hills ain’t Beverly,” Kon sang, giving Tim a look. He thought he saw the title of this song near the bottom of his set list, he was nearing the end of the show. “She’s in love with California, and breakin’ my heart. Oh, she’s breakin’ my heart.”

Tim clapped with the rest of the audience. Two songs left, he thought.

“Alright, before this next song I want to introduce someone special to all of you.” Kon said, glancing over at Tim again.

Oh God.

His face warmed under the attention.

“Everyone, please give a round of applause for my boyfriend, Tim.” Kon said, holding an arm out towards him. Tim smiled sheepishly as everyone clapped for him. “Come on up here, babe.”

Tim took a few timid steps forward until he was standing next to Kon, who motioned for him to sit in the chair.

“I’d like to dedicate this next song to you,” Kon said, smiling down at him as he started strumming a slow song on his guitar. “That Sunday mornin’, choir callin’, church doors open wide, that hallelujah, shoot right through ya, make you feel alive.”   


Tim sat watching, with what he assumed was a pretty goofy smile on his face, trying to not cry out of embarrassment and joy. He tried really hard to like the song, he’d heard Kon singing it just around the apartment a few times. By the end, Kon had handed him the mic to hold and was kneeling beside him.

“My love is never gonna run dry, never gonna come up empty, now until the day I die, unconditionally.” Kon sang, and Tim found that by now he knew the words and started singing along quietly, not fully audible to the microphone. “You know I’m always gonna be there for ya, no one’s ever gonna love you more than God, your mama, and me.”

“God, your mama, and me,” Tim sang, giggling hearing his own voice over the speakers.

“Unconditionally, God, your mama, and me,” Kon sang, moving the microphone back to its stand and leaning down to give Tim a quick kiss. His heart swelled when some of the audience cooed at them.

“Love you.” Kon mumbled, and Tim repeated the sentiment before heading back to the audience where he had been, seeing the girls from the two nights prior.

“You two are cute.” Kara said, and one of the others nodded.

“Alright, last one guys, I know ya’ll know it, so sing it with me,” Kon said, his heel tapping out a beat. “Plowin’ these fields in the hot summer sun, over by the gate, Lordie here she comes.”

And while Tim didn’t necessarily think tractors were sexy, he bet Conner on one sure as hell was.

* * *

 

The two of them took a detour to the barn again that night, though a bit more prepared and sober this time around. Kon felt better about it, much lighter and more loving than the night prior. He had his arm around Tim as the headed into the house. Ma and Pa were already asleep.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Tim.” Kon said, pausing in front of Tim’s bedroom door. He wrapped his arms around his waist and gave him a small kiss, or what was intended to be a small kiss.

“Stay,” Tim mumbled against his lips, fisting his fingers in Kon’s shirt to pull him closer.

“I can’t babe,” Kon shook his head. “Ma and Pa will know.”

Tim stood on his toes and gave him another kiss, snaking his arms around his neck until they were pressed flush against each other.

“Babe,” Kon whined. He really could go again, wanted to, but Ma and Pa would hear them. That’d be mortifying.

“Fine,” Tim sighed, falling back down onto his flat feet.

“Tomorrow.” Kon mumbled, leaning down to give him another kiss. “When we go out to do the chores. Promise.” He whispered, but Tim still wasn’t letting go of his shirt.

“Thank you, for today.” Tim mumbled, toying with the buttons on Kon’s shirt. He wasn’t looking up at him, and his hands were shaking a bit.

“What’s wrong, Tim?” Kon asked, tilting his head up.

“I, uh,” He looked up and down the hall. “Come. Come sit with me.”

Kon wanted to protest because Ma might catch them in the same bedroom, but the mood seemed to have passed. He let Tim take his hand and pull him into the bedroom. The two of them sat down on the bed, Tim still grasping his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Kon asked again.

“I, um, you know how much I love it when you sing to me,” Tim said, looking down at his lap. “And it, uh, it reminds me of when my mom sang to me.”

“Tim-“

“I do really miss my mom sometimes.” Tim mumbled, finally looking up, his eyes watering.

“Will you tell me about her?” Kon asked, and Tim’s eyes widened. He reclined back on the bed, taking Tim down with him to have the shorter man rest on his chest.

“She played the piano,” Tim mumbled. “She used to make me take lessons, but I didn’t want to play the piano. I wasn’t nearly as good as she was, and I just wanted to sit next to her on the bench and listen. She was so good.”

Kon nodded as Tim talked, gesturing with his hands and his face lighting up, until they both eventually fell asleep.

* * *

 

Kon was careful not to wake Tim up when he got up in the morning. He tiptoed out into the hall and shut the door as quietly as he could. He turned and started towards his room to change his clothes.

Ma was sitting on his bed.

“Ma,” He squeaked, standing up straight.

“Come sit down here, Honey.” She said, patting the bed beside her. Kon swallowed, but he did what he was told.

“I promise you, Ma, we just fell asleep while we were talking,” Kon started, but Ma pat his arm.

“I know that, baby. Pa and I heard ya’ll talking.” Ma said. “But, I know how much you like him, and I know that’s not all you two will be doing-“

“Ma!” He squealed.

“I want you to make an honest man out of him.” Ma finished, patting his hand. Kon blinked at her for a minute.

“Like,” Kon knit his brow, “like marriage? Oh, Ma, we’re not really-“

“I can see it, baby. I can see how much you like him. When you’re ready, you let me know and I’ll give you your great granddaddy’s wedding ring.” She said, getting up from the bed.

“Oh, Ma, we’re not ready for something like that.” Kon shook his head. As much as he could see it in the future, he and Tim living on a farm raising a couple of kids and some animals, it wasn’t something they were ready for right now. It was too soon for them to settle down, they had plans, and dreams.

“I know.” Ma nodded. “But when you are. I’ve kept my mom and daddy’s wedding rings all these years. I was going to give one of you boys her ring if you wanted it when you met the right girl, but I don’t mind splitting them up for you two.”

“Thank you, Ma. That means a lot.” Kon said, getting up to give her a hug.

“Of course, Baby.” Ma said, hugging him back. “Now you get changed and get started on those chores. We’ve gotta decorate that tree today.”

“Okay.” Kon nodded and waited for her to leave before shedding the clothes from the day before and dressing in new work clothes.

* * *

 

The chores went much faster with Tim helping, now that he was more comfortable with the animals. It was also a lot more fun when they tried to sneak as many little touches as they could-Kon goosing Tim when he bent over to grab the bucket to milk the cows, Tim grabbing at Kon’s crotch when he stood on the gate to Comet’s pen-which made for quicker work.

But Saturday was also grooming day, and Kon had offered to take care of the two more wary horses if Tim gave Comet a good brushing and washing.

Kon was just finishing up with Lana, her coat looking much cleaner and more beautiful, when he heard Tim humming two stalls over. He picked up his supplies and moved into Daisy’s stall so he could listen closer.

It wasn’t a song he recognized right away, but he had heard Tim humming it on occasion when he was doing something else, taking a shower, getting dressed, tidying up. But now he could hear the tune clearly and he still didn’t know what it was.

He set down his supplies in Daisy’s stall and strode over to where Tim was running a brush over Comet’s neck, close to his face. He was always the tame one.

“What’s that song?” Kon asked, climbing up on the stall door so he could lean on the top. “I’ve heard you hum it before.”

Tim paused his work, Comet huffed.

“It’s called Pié Jesu.” Tim mumbled, running his hand down Comet’s face. “My mother and I used to sing it together, when I was really little.”

“What does it mean?” Kon asked, swinging a leg over to drop into the stall.

“It’s Latin,” Tim sighed. “It means merciful Jesus. It was written the year I was born, or we were born I guess, about children who died in a fire. It’s almost like a prayer.”

“Can you sing it?” Kon asked, striding forward to pet Comet as well.

“Oh, I don’t really sing very well.” Tim shook his head.

“Please?”

Tim sighed.

But still he started to sing.

“Pié Jesu, Pié Jesu,” He sang softly, still running the brush over Comet. “Pié Jesu dominé.”

Comet leaned forward to touch his nose to Kon’s hand.

“Pié Jesu, Pié Jesu, dona eis requiem,” Tim sang. “That’s what I remember off the top of my head.”

“What does that all mean?” Kon asked, knitting his brow.

“Well that last part asks to grant them rest.” Tim explained. “My mom used to play that song on the piano and we sang it together. She used to sing it to me at night.”

“I like hearing about your mom.” Kon said, leaning back against the wall. Tim didn’t say anything for a moment, just kept brushing, but the brush eventually stopped and his hand fell down to his side.

“I miss her a lot,” He mumbled. “Especially with everything that’s happened, I always just feel like she’d be so upset with me.”

“Tim, no-“

“I always just wanted to make her happy,” Tim muttered, his voice breaking. He covered his mouth with his hand while Kon ran around the horse to pull him into his arms.

“Tim, she’d be so proud of you for how you’ve changed and grown.” Kon said, rubbing his arms up and down his back.

“Her only son grew up to be a hooker, and as much as I wanted to do it, I wanted to do something I’m good at and make my own money, every time I couldn’t help but think she’d be so disappointed.” Tim cried, hiding his face in his hands. “She wanted better for me.”

“Tim, listen to me.” Kon said, pushing Tim back a bit and taking his hands so he could look him in the eyes. “You are a strong, smart, and incredibly independent young man. Your mom would be so happy to see the man you’ve become.”

“She would have loved you,” Tim hiccupped.

“She still loves you, Tim.” Kon leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “And she always will.”

“Thanks, Kon.” Tim sniffled, wiping at his face.

“I’ll finish up out here. You go on in the house and wash up. I’ll be in soon.” Kon said, giving Tim’s hand a squeeze. Tim nodded and started for the gate, opening it and watching Kon pick up where he left off with the brush.

When he was finally gone, Comet pawed at the ground.

“I know boy,” Kon said. “I miss him too.”

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for Kon to finish up Comet and Daisy. They were the two cleaner horses anyways. He was looking forward to a hot shower after spending so much time in the drafty barn, and he also smelled like sweat and horses.

When he walked into the house, no one was in the kitchen. He toed off his boots and started unbuttoning his flannel, wanting to get the horse smell off of himself instead of dragging it through the house. He was still unbuttoning when he pushed through the door between the kitchen and living room.

Tim was helping Ma decorate the tree, and the two were chatting away while Pa snored with his afternoon nap in the chair. Tim was wiping at one of his eyes, and Ma reached out to squeeze his arm.

Kon smiled and headed up to the bathroom to shower.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well......it technically got to after midnight on Christmas eve so my notes last time didn't lie!

Christmas eve meant one thing in the Kent household.

Church.

Since Christmas eve was on a Sunday, that meant they didn’t have to go in the morning like normal. They would just go to the midnight mass and Kon could sleep in instead of getting up at the ass crack of dawn to take care of the chores before church.

He was enjoying his extra hour or so of sleep when he heard Tim talking in the room beside his, which was odd because he always liked to sleep in late.

_“It’s pretty weird, Steph. I kind of thought I’d hate being out in the country but it’s not that bad.”_

Kon smiled into his pillow, figuring he could probably get up and get dressed for the chores. Maybe he’d take Comet out for a ride. Ma and Pa couldn’t ride them much anymore, and he got restless sometimes.

_“No, of course not. We’re not there yet. I mean, it’s only been six months.”_

Kon paused his stripping of his pajamas to listen, though he knew he shouldn’t. He was talking to his friend, it wasn’t polite to listen in.

_“We haven’t really talked about it. We’ve just kind of been enjoying the quiet out here. I learned how to milk a cow.”_

Kon chuckled as she started wiggling into his jeans. He pulled on a red flannel, tucking it in and putting on a belt. Maybe he’d take Tim on a ride.

_“I’m honestly enjoying myself. I never liked animals much, but the ones out here are pretty nice. The dog has been sleeping in my room.”_

Kon smirked. Sometimes Krypto liked to sleep in the spare room because he got a whole bed to himself, even if he wasn’t supposed to be up on the furniture.

_“Maybe. I don’t know. I didn’t think I’d like being on a farm, but even doing the chores isn’t bad. I could see us maybe having a small farm.”_

Kon paused, trying to listen harder. Was he talking about them having a farm?

_“I’ve got to let you go, Steph. Kon’ll be up soon. I’ll call you tomorrow.”_

Kon scrambled out to the hall and down to the bathroom to brush his teeth, act like he wasn’t listening to Tim’s phone conversation. He glanced over when Tim appeared in the doorway in an oversized t-shirt and sweats.

“Hey, you.” Tim said, giving him a tired smile.

“Hey,” Kon mumbled around his toothbrush. He took a moment to spit into the sink, rinsed out his toothbrush.

“I’m going to shower. You want to join me?” Tim asked, striding into the bathroom behind him.

“I don’t think I should.” Kon shook his head, turning around and leaning against the sink. “I have to do the chores first. You wanna join me? Maybe go for a ride?”

“No, that’s okay.” Tim shook his head. “Your grandmother asked me to help her wrap some presents while you’re out anyways.”

“Oh.” Kon mumbled, looking down at his feet. “Then I’m going to head out, alright? I’ll be back in a few hours.” He leaned forward to give Tim a kiss on the cheek, then turned to leave him to his shower.

Kon jogged down the stairs and saw Pa sitting in the living room, fiddling with a small box, tape stuck to his fingers.

“You alright, Pa?” He asked, and the man startled at the voice, looking back at his grandson.

“I’m trying to wrap this damn necklace for your grandmother.” He grumbled, trying to pull the paper over the box and getting it stuck on the tape on his fingers.

“Do you want help?”

“I’ll get it. She knows when I don’t wrap it.” Pa shook his head and waved him off. Kon nodded and pushed open the door to the kitchen, saw Ma sitting at the table tying a bow around a neatly wrapped box.

“What’s that, Ma?” He asked, heading towards the door to put on his boots.

“A new pair of shoes for your grandfather. If it were up to him, he’d wear his until he wore through the soles.” She said, setting the pretty box aside. “You take your time on those chores.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to take Comet out for a ride.” Kon said, shrugging his jacket on.

“Then you be sure you shower when you come back in.” Ma said, picking up a smaller box. It was a necklace for his mother, he knew. “I don’t want the house smelling like the barn.”

“Sure thing, Ma.” Kon said, stepping forward to kiss her cheek. He whistled for Krypto, who was sleeping under the table, and the dog got up to follow him out to the barn.

With the dog around, it wasn’t too slow to get all the chores done. Kon just had to open the pens for the horses, and Krypto had learned to heard the creatures early on to lead them out to the pasture. He was able to get the cows milked while he talked Krypto’s ear off, about Tim, about gifts he bought, about his music. He missed having an animal around.

Once the cows were milked, he turned them out to the pasture and called for Comet. The ever obedient horse came strutting up to him, and he led him into the barn so he could saddle him and lead him over to the mounting block.

He slipped the halter over his face, dropped the reins to the ground. The other two couldn’t ground tie, but Comet was the most well-behaved.

Ma had always told him to wear his hat because it had a helmet built in, and even the bravest and most skilled rider can fall off, or any horse might throw them. He grabbed his gloves and slid them on before getting up onto the mounting block and climbing onto Comet’s back.

“Alright boy, let’s go.” Kon said, giving the horse a click. He started going out to the pasture again, and Kon leaned down when they got to the fence to push it open. Krypto jumped on it behind them and Kon heard the lift lock click. He was a good boy.

The corn fields had a path every so often, and they led out to an open field. That was where Kon liked to ride when he first moved out here, it was the only place he felt he could find privacy. He would hop on Joy and ride her out to the field, she was able to ground tie too, so while she grazed on the grass, Kon relaxed. Sometimes he just layed with Krypto in the overgrown field, sometimes he was by himself and wanted some alone time.

Either way, it was always his thoughtful spot.

The ride out was mostly silent, just the sound of Comet’s hooves and Krypto’s paws jogging beside them. Once he arrived and dismounted, he dropped the reins down on the ground and took off the gloves. He wouldn’t need them until he left.

“Alright, boy. Where’s the ball?” Kon asked, and Krypto bound further into the field. He kept an old soccer ball out in the field, though it wasn’t much of a ball anymore after the weather and Krypto’s teeth.

The dog came trotting back with the flat, greyish ball in his mouth, tail whipping through the crisp air. Kon took it and threw it as far as he could, which was pretty far considering it was more Frisbee than ball.

It wasn’t hard thinking about doing these kinds of chores for the rest of his life. Maybe only one or two horses, and only one cow. Then he could handle the chickens on top of them more easily than now.

It wouldn’t be in Kansas, though. As much as he loved the farm, he didn’t want to be back in the middle of the country. California had some rural areas. Maybe instead of a farm for corn, they could own a vineyard.

Krypto brought the ball back, and Kon tossed it again.

They could have a dog or two. One that could herd well, one that was better with kids. Krypto was just smart enough, he wasn’t naturally a herding dog. But they’d want to be close enough that they weren’t too far from his brothers, his friends.

They could have a nice guest room, so Ma and Pa could come stay in cold months. Or if Jon wanted to visit from college for the weekend. And rooms for a couple of kids. Would they adopt? Kon was sure that Tim had no qualms with adoption. They could have a play room.

He could see it in the morning. He’d get up extra early to go out and take care of the chores while Tim was still asleep in bed. He’d get back before anyone was awake, and he and Tim would take a nice shower together to start their day. By the time they got out, it’d be time to get kids up for school.

Tim would go to their son’s room, he was more comfortable with older children. He’d get him up and down to the kitchen while Kon went to get their little girl, the baby. She’d require a bit more attention in the morning, waking, changing, dressing. By the time he carried her downstairs, Tim would have cereal for their boy and coffee brewing. He would put the baby in her high chair and strap her in while Tim got her some baby food, she didn’t have teeth yet-

“Woof!”

Kon looked down. There was a soccer ball at his feet and a dog bouncing around, tail wagging.

He tossed the ball as hard as he could, told Krypto to go long.

That was their code for take it and leave me be for a while.

Kon sat down in the tall grass. It was a little cold, but he didn’t mind. He was warmed all over with his little fantasy.

Once their boy was off to school, middle school, Tim would want to adopt an older boy, they’d clean up the baby and bring her into the living room so she could play until it was time for her nap. He’d corner Tim in their new partial privacy and give him a warm kiss until they could hardly wait for nap time.

Kon reached down and grasped himself through his jeans. This was always where he came for privacy, and the area always brought that idea up in his head.

He didn’t bother taking his jeans off, it was cold and he’d have to shower anyways.

Once the baby was down for her nap, safe in her crib, he and Tim would tiptoe down the hall and to their own bedroom. He’d set the baby monitor on the nightstand, and pray that she would stay asleep for long enough. He’d get his hands on Tim’s back side, something he’d want to do all the time but wouldn’t in front of their kids.

They wouldn’t have as much time as they would like, so it wouldn’t take long for them to be naked, and for Tim to be on the bed under him, trying not to scream. He’d be holding himself back too, wanting to make noise but they’d have time for that later.

He’d be slamming into Tim as quietly as he could, keeping a hand on the headboard to stop it from hitting the wall. That was the baby’s room, they didn’t want her to hear.

But Tim can’t keep quiet for that long, he’d be whimpering under Kon, silently begging for Kon to go harder, faster. And Kon couldn’t say no, but the harder and faster he went, the closer he got until-

Kon felt his breath leave him as he came hard into his boxers. He pulled his hand out, wiping it in the grass beside him. He zipped his jeans back up and got to his slightly wobbly legs, saw where Krypto was laying down, chewing on his ball. He caught sight of his owner and lifted his head up, ears perking and head tilting.

“C’mon boy.” Kon said, patting his legs. Krypto dropped his toy and bounded towards Kon, ready to go back to the house. Kon climbed up onto Comet, ready to get back to reality.

He had just gotten off to the most domestic fantasy he’d ever had, and he really needed a shower.

When he got back to the house, he could hear laughing in the living room. He toed off his boots and hung up his jacket before heading through the swinging door to see what was going on.

The gifts were all under the tree, and Pa was fast asleep in his chair, something that happened frequently when they watched television. Ma was knitting, and Tim was sitting beside her holding her yarn.

“You two sound like you’re having fun.” Kon said, leaning over the couch to kiss the top of Ma’s head.

“Oh, just laughing at your grandfather. He insisted that he wasn’t going to fall asleep.” Ma said, nodding in his direction. “Honey, you need a shower.”

“I’m on my way up.” Kon said, giving her a nod.

“Tim, Dear, will you run up to my bedroom and grab the green yarn? It’s beside my chair.” Ma asked, and Tim nodded.

“Of course. I’ll be back.” He set the blue yarn aside, jogging to catch up with Kon on the stairs.

“What’d you do out in the barn?” Tim asked quietly as they got to the top of the stairs.

“Huh?” Kon asked, pausing in front of his bedroom.

“You had your shirt tucked in when you left.” Tim said, looking him up and down. Kon flushed. “Not get enough yesterday?”

“I just went out to my old place at the back of the property.” Kon mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “It always gets to me.”

“Well, maybe I can give you your Christmas gift a little early.” Tim said, leaning in close to give him a lingering kiss. “Go ahead and shower.”

“Right.” Kon said with a nod, heading into his room to grab clean clothes.

* * *

 

Ma dropped Kon off at church early that night. He was going to sing with the choir again, like he used to, and they all met early for a quick rehearsal.

He was tuning his guitar when he saw them walk in, sit down in the third row. Ma was in her favorite church dress, a dark green dress that she saved for special occasions, such as Christmas or Easter. Pa was wearing what he wore every Sunday, a flannel shirt and a black tie. Tim was dressed in a light blue button up and black tie. He looked very handsome. Kon gave him a small smile as they sat down.

The small church filled up fast, many people only came on holidays, but once it was full the pastor began speaking, introducing them.

Kon stepped up to the microphone and started strumming on his guitar.

It wasn’t one of the usual hymns, or even one of the churchy carols that they usually sang, but the preacher had always been willing to let Kon experiment with his music.

“Let it be Christmas everywhere, In the hearts of all people both near and a far, Christmas everywhere, Feel the love of the season wherever you are, On the small, country roads lined with green mistletoe, Big city streets where a thousand lights glow,” Kon sang, glancing down at Tim. The choir behind him joined in the song, swaying back and forth. No one wore choir robes, the church couldn’t afford them, but everyone wore white shirts and black pants or skirts.

Some people were giving him odd looks, he knew, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. It wasn’t any of their business who he loved.

Christmas sermon was always shorter than the others. Everyone was tired and wanted to get home. Children were more antsy than average, wanting to get home to see if they could catch a glimpse of Santa.

After the service, Kon was putting his guitar away when the preacher approached him.

“It was wonderful to have you back, Conner. The choir hasn’t been the same without you.” He said, shaking his hand.

“It was great to be back.” Kon nodded, catching Tim’s eye over his shoulder. “The church in California isn’t the same.”

“Well, are you at least enjoying your time in the sunshine state?” He asked with a laugh. Tim was striding towards them, moving to stand beside Kon.

“Yeah, I am.” Kon said, slipping an arm around Tim’s waist.

“I’m glad,” The preacher nodded. “It’s wonderful to see you happy. When his children are happy, God is happy.”

Kon smiled down at Tim for a moment, looked back up at the preacher.

“Thank you, sir.” Kon said with a smile.

“Merry Christmas, Son.” He said, giving him another hand shake before turning to other members of the church.

Kon grabbed his guitar case and led Tim out to the parking lot. The ride back would be uncomfortable since the truck only had 3 seats. Tim would have to sit on his lap.

“Sorry we don’t have a larger car,” Ma said when the two of them slipped into the car, Kon’s arms around Tim’s waist.

“Don’t worry about it.” Tim shook his head. “I’ve always been the smallest one out of my family, I got stuck on laps a lot.”

Kon looked out the window, leaning his cheek against Tim’s warm back. It really was nice being back in his home town, but he was always a city boy deep in his heart. It was where he really grew up, even if the important years were spent in Kansas.

When they pulled up to the house, Kon and Tim were the last out of the truck. He knew that they wouldn’t get the chance to be alone for long.

“You boys get your behinds in bed, it’s late.” Ma said, walking towards the house behind Pa. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“We’ll be right in.” Kon said, pausing to shut the truck door. “Thanks for coming to church with us. I know it’s not really your thing.”

“Well it’s important to you. And I really don’t mind it.” Tim shook his head. “I even enjoy it a bit, if I get to hear you sing.”

“So, hey, I heard you talking to Stephanie this morning.” Kon said before he lost his courage. They had both been dancing around the issue all day, and he needed to address it.

“You did?” Tim asked, leaning back against the truck.

“I, uh, Ma had a similar conversation with me.” Kon mumbled.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

The two stood in silence for a moment, looking everywhere but each other.

“I want you to know I’m not in any hurry.” Kon said, looking at him finally. “But, uh, I’d like to know how you feel about it.”

Tim took a deep breath.

“I mean, I haven’t really thought about it much,” Tim shook his head. “But Stephanie and Jason have said things once or twice about it. And I’m open to the idea in the future.”

“Really?”

“Well, yeah. Conner, I love you. If one day we want to get married and have a life together, I’d be up for it.” Tim said, and Kon’s heart skipped a beat.

“I love you too.” He said, smile spreading across his face. “I was thinking about it this morning, and the idea of you and me together for the rest of our lives, it made me really happy.”

“Oh so that’s what you did when you went out to the barn.” Tim said with a small chuckle. Kon blushed. “I’m teasing you. It makes me really happy too, Kon.”

They smiled at each other for a moment, then leaned in for a small kiss at first, but soon Kon was pressing Tim up against the truck, hands moving down to his posterior.

“Boy! Get your butts in this house before you freeze!”

Kon let his head fall to Tim’s shoulder, both of them laughing.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kon is a hopeless romantic. Tim is a sucker for it. Also, this chapter also explains a bit of Stephanie and Jason. I wasn't sure if I wanted them together together in this fic, and I'm really still not sure. But I feel like there's this other side of what is happening, which is also why I had started If We Go Down, Then We Go Down Together in the first place, and I don't want to just ignore it. Jason is still Jason everyone. And I'm sorry I'm such a country music sap, but I feel like in this AU, it fits Kon really well.

Kon was never the first awake Christmas morning. When he was little, his mom was always up before him, making coffee for herself and dad. Then when Jon came along, once he was old enough, he was up first, always excited to see what Santa brought. By that time, Kon had stopped believing in Santa, but the little one had always jumped on his bed to wake him up anyways.

Once he moved out to the farm, Ma and Pa were up as early as every morning. It was rare they slept in or stayed up late. They said it was because they worked on a farm for so long but Pa told him later it was just because that’s what old folks did.

So it didn’t surprise Kon that someone was opening his bedroom door. He didn’t feel like opening his eyes. This was the one day a year that he could sleep in, didn’t have to do the chores super early, so he was going to hold onto whatever rest he could get.

But they didn’t come to his bed to wake him up. They opened his closet door.

He opened his eyes and saw Tim standing in front of his closet, wearing nothing but his underwear.

“Babe?” Kon asked, looking over at his bedroom door. It was closed at least.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Tim said, looking at him over his shoulder. “I just wanted to grab a hoodie.”

“It’s okay.” Kon mumbled, rolling onto his back. “Don’t you have any?”

“Yeah, but I like your clothes better.” Tim said, grabbing a grey hoodie out of the closet and slipping it on. It was his senior hoodie, there was a 13 on the front, and it was pretty big on Tim, almost covering his boxer briefs.

“I like my clothes on you too.” Kon said, rolling onto his side to enjoy the view. Tim smiled at him over his shoulder, shutting the closet doors. He lightly jogged over to the bed and climbed on, sitting on Kon’s lap. “Frisky.”

“Merry Christmas, Babe.” Tim mumbled, leaning down to give him a kiss.

“This is risky.” Kon mumbled against his lips. Tim started to pull away, but Kon was sitting up to follow his lips.

“We can be quiet,” Tim whispered, leaning in for another kiss. “They’re downstairs.”

“You’re such a bad influence on me,” Kon breathed, running his hands over Tim’s bare thighs.

“And you love me for it.” Tim said, running his hands down Kon’s bare chest.

* * *

 

Kon came strolling down the stairs with Tim right behind him not long after. Tim was wearing actual pants now instead of nothing, and he got dressed himself.

“Merry Christmas, boys!” Ma called from the couch. “Conner, your mother is on the phone.” She pointed to the kitchen, and Kon could hear Pa in there talking.

“I’ll go talk to her.” Kon nodded. He turned and pushed through the swinging door to the kitchen, and Pa waved at him.

“Son, Conner just got up, so I’ll let you talk to him.” Pa said, and Kon felt his stomach drop. He hadn’t talked to his dad in a while. “Here you go, boy.”

Kon took the chorded phone and leaned against the counter.

“Hey Dad.” He said, watching Pa head back to the living room.

“ _Merry Christmas, Conner.”_

“Merry Christmas to you too, Dad.” Kon mumbled, looking up as Tim gently pushed the door open, gave him a soft look.

_“Lois! It’s Conner!”_

_“Hi, Honey.”_

“Hey, Mom.” Kon said as he sat up on the counter. Tim moved to stand beside him.

“ _How are you baby? Merry Christmas. Jon says Merry Christmas too.”_

_“No I don’t!”_

_“You hush.”_

“Well Merry Christmas to you too, Mom.” Kon chuckled. “I’m doing good. Just been getting back into the chore routine here.”

“ _Ma said having you back has been a huge help. Said Tim was helping too.”_

“Yeah, he has been.” Kon nodded, looking over at the man beside him. “We’ve been having a lot of fun.”

_“Well, not too much fun I hope.”_

“Mom, can we go one holiday without talking about that?” Kon whined, and beside him Tim giggled.

_“I just want to make sure you’re being safe.”_

“Mom, look, we can talk about all of this at a later time. Like in therapy.” Kon scoffed. “And besides, we’re in separate rooms here.”

_“Well that never stopped your father and I.”_

“Mom!” Kon screeched, and Tim laughed a bit louder beside him. He could hear Jon’s cries of ‘Gross!’ on the other line.

_“Alright, baby, well you go open your presents and call us later, okay? We love you.”_

“Love you too, Mom.” Kon said, turning to hang up the phone. He felt a shiver of repulsion run through his body as Tim’s laughter died down. “That woman is so embarrassing.”

“That woman loves you.” Tim said, stepping up for a hug.

“If she loved me she wouldn’t put that mental image in my head.” Kon shook his heads, but still wrapped his arms around Tim’s waist.

* * *

 

Once presents were opened, Ma and Pa went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Kon had gotten some clothes, as had Tim, from Ma and Pa. His mom had sent them gifts as well, some gift cards that he appreciated. Jon sent them a box of condoms because he was a brat and Kon had quickly hidden the not-fully-unwrapped box in one of the clothing boxes.

“I’ll put those in my bag.” Tim said, holding his hand out. “Even if we don’t use them, I can give them to Steph or something.”

“Thanks.” Kon handed over the box, and Tim went jogging up the stairs to put them in a safe spot. He had to remember to call home later and tell Lois what her youngest had done. He deserved to be in trouble for that.

“So who is Stephanie seeing?” Kon asked when Tim came strolling back down the stairs.

“No one, really, but she always could use them.” Tim shrugged, getting back down on the rug to gather up his Christmas clothes. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course.” Kon shrugged, starting to fold his own clothes.

“She told me yesterday that she and Jason almost did it.” He whispered, and Kon inhaled so fast he choked on his own spit.

“What?” He asked.

“Well the two of them have been flirty for years, and she’s not looking for anything serious right now, just like casual hook ups,” Tim shrugged. “But Jason’s not really a casual guy. So she doesn’t know if maybe she’d pursue it.”

“I never thought they’d actually get that close.” Kon mumbled, folding a pair of jeans. He’d need to get a freaking apartment after all this, how was he supposed to keep all of this in a hotel room?

“I’ll have to fill you in on that whole thing later. After breakfast when we go out to do the chores, okay?” Tim asked as he got to his feet. He leaned down and kissed Kon’s forehead, and Kon felt weird being on the receiving end of that. His lips were right at Tim’s forehead naturally, he did it all the time.

He blinked at the now empty room and continued with his folding.

* * *

 

“So anyways, Steph and I hadn’t even had sex at this point, still very new in our relationship, she tells me she’s pregnant.” Tim said from where he’s leading Jezebel over to the milking area.

“Stephanie never said she has a baby.” Kon said, practically falling off of the door where he was trying to calm Lana before he let her out. He lifted the lock and the door swung open, he grasped on tight so he wouldn’t fall on his ass.

“Well she doesn’t.” Tim shook his head. “It was from this guy, the guy who she had been with before me, and she wanted to just get an abortion.”

“And did she?” Kon asked as he pushed the gate closed on Lana’s pen, listening to the latch click into place.

“No. See, I didn’t know what the hell to do, neither did she, we were 18, and she was terrified. So I told her we should talk to someone, and we decided the lesser of two evils was Jason.” Tim explained, starting to milk the cow. “Because I thought for sure Dick would freak out. He’s had past issues with pregnancy scares. Anyways, so we go and tell Jason.”

“How old was he?”

“21. The band was just really starting to take off, he and Kori were together, he was in a pretty good place mentally. Anyways, so Jason tells her if she really wants to get an abortion, he’d take her to a doctor doctor, not just a clinic. But he also told her if she didn’t want to, he’d pay for all of the medical bills and stuff for her if she wanted to go through with it and have the baby or give it up for adoption.”

“And she put it up for adoption?” Kon asked, letting loose the last horse. Krypto went bounding out after Comet, excited to run around with his big friends.

“She did.” Tim nodded. “And Jason worked with the adoption agency and everything to find her a good home. And for almost that whole pregnancy, Stephanie lived with us.”

“How’d that work?” Kon opened the cow’s pen again and led Farah out to her station.

“Well we were still dating at the time, so she slept in my room. But anyways, Jason took her to all of her doctor’s appointments and everything, really, he’s always been the dad friend. And since then, they’ve always been really close.”

“That’s pretty incredible of him.”

“Oh, he’s so sweet with women. He’s so smitten with his God daughter, I honestly think that’s why he hasn’t dated anyone since Kori. He doesn’t want to hurt someone else’s little girl. He’s a sucker.” Tim laughed. “Growing up with all boys, it’s just so different.”

“So why didn’t they ever date or anything?”

“Well, Stephanie and I got into escorting. Same guy, she never told him she’d had a baby, but he was kind of her pimp for a while, got me roped in too. Even after we broke out and went on our own, Jason’s not into casual sex.” Tim shook his head. “He’s just always been protective of her. Even keeps tabs on the little girl for her. The family didn’t want her to know she was adopted, but they agreed to writing Jason letters.”

“Wow.” Kon said, honestly not believing how weird their lives were.

“Steph is pretty special to Jason, even if he won’t admit it.” Tim shrugged. “And he’s special to her too. She used to always go for older guys and they always treated her like shit. It was good for her to find one who didn’t.”

“You have a weird life.” Kon finally said, not being able to keep his mouth shut on the subject anymore.

“And you’re stuck with it now.” Tim said, flashing him a smile.

* * *

 

Kon had just hung up the phone when it rang again, effectively scaring him. God forbid his mom wanted to ask him more questions. He had already told her what Jon had done, smiled when he heard her yelling at him, but regretted it because then she started asking if they needed them and if they were still going slow and did he get himself _tested_ -

Kon thought he was going to die of embarrassment, but he picked up the phone anyways.

“Kent residence.” He said, leaning back against the counter.

_“Conner? Oh good, this is still your number. It’s Kara.”_

“Oh, hey Kara.” He said, relieved it wasn’t his mother, but also slightly uncomfortable. He didn’t stay in contact with his friends from high school for a reason. They weren’t all that close.

“ _I’m having a party at my place tomorrow night. You and your boyfriend should come. Everyone else is.”_

“Uh, I’ll think about it.” Kon said. “But I have to let you go. Christmas and all.”

_“Right. Merry Christmas.”_

“You too.” Kon said, then hung up the phone. Kara’s house was always party central, and he had gone to a few over the years, but did he really want to try and relive his high school years?

“Dick, I told you, we’re fine.” Tim was saying as he walked through the back door. He had been out on the back porch talking with Jason a little while ago. “No, we’re in different rooms. I am 22 years old, Dick, if my boyfriend and I want to have sex, we’re allowed.”

“Tim.” Kon squeaked, praying that Ma and Pa couldn’t hear from the living room.

“Yes, well, I love you all too, I’ll see you in a few days. Tell Damian and Jason that I love them and tell Bruce I said hi.” Tim sighed, flopping down into one of the kitchen chairs. He hung up his phone and set it on the table, digging the heel of his hands into his eyes.

“Everything alright on the home front?” Kon asked, sitting down beside him.

“From what I can tell.” Tim shrugged. “Dick’s worried, as usual.”

“I’m sure it’s just his nature.” Kon shook his head. “And Jason?”

“He doesn’t care what we do, he just doesn’t want to hear about it. That’s always been his number one rule.” Tim chuckled. “I tried to tell him about my first time with Stephanie, you know, ask advice and whatnot. Nope. He was having none of it. Said if I want advice, talk to Dick and never tell him how that conversation progressed.”

“Well on a possibly happier note, you and I got invited to a party tomorrow night.” Kon said. “If you’re interested.”

“That might be fun.” Tim shrugged. “I haven’t gone to a fun party in a while.”

“Well it might be a bit different than your kinds of parties, city slicker.” Kon chuckled, and he saw Tim open his mouth, but he hear Pa shouting in the living room.

“Conner! I can’t get this damned tape thing to work!”

Kon chuckled to himself, getting up and hurrying to the living room where Pa was hitting the remote with his fist.

“What do you guys do when I’m not home?” Kon asked, taking the remote and going over to see if the VCR was plugged in.

“We listen to the radio like the good Lord intended.” Pa said, crossing his arms in his chair. Kon glanced over at the old radio and record player in the corner. He knew they had some old radio shows somewhere. Pa didn’t like new technology.

“Except to watch the evening news and wheel of fortune.” Ma said, glancing up from her knitting. “When you get that fixed, you boys sit down. It’s Christmas.”

“I know, Ma.” Kon said, rolling his eyes to himself. Christmas Day meant Christmas movies, two of her favorites, which were ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘Miracle on 34th Street’.

Once he got everything situated, he moved back towards the couch, where Tim was sitting, holding Ma’s yarn again. He sat on his other side, wrapped an arm around his shoulder, kissed his temple.

It just reminded him they agreed to wait until that night to exchange gifts in private.

* * *

 

Kon was out in the barn, making sure the cat had water. He was sleeping on the little hay pile covered in an old blanket, probably would be there for the night. Tim was supposed to meet him up in the loft in ten minutes, so he was taking his time.

The barn wasn’t exactly warm, but Kon always knew how to layer and stay warm. Plus, the heaters helped a little. He checked over the other animals, told Krypto to stay, and started climbing up to the loft.

He tidied up a little. The loft was pretty much just for storage as far as Ma and Pa knew, but the old couch was at least accessible. He pushed it back a bit so there was more floor room. He shook out the blanket to get the dust and hay and freaking cat hair off of it before laying it back over the couch. He turned on his little lantern, not a fire lantern, but made to look like one. There was too much tinder for a fire.

He smoothed out the blanket on the floor, thinking that maybe being able to spread out was better. He was nervous, though he didn’t know why. He took the box out of his pocket and set it on the little table beside the couch.

There. That was romantic looking. Right?

He took his phone out of his pocket and set it down on the table as well, turning on some music. Oh!

He reached into his other jacket pocket, pulling out the old flask Pa had given him for his 21st. He had taken a bit of Ma’s wine, she never used it, only for nice dinners occasionally. He didn’t have glasses, but he didn’t think Tim would mind. There were only so many things he could sneak out in his jacket.

Kon sat down on the blanket, sprawling out this way and that. What was sexy looking? Did Tim care? Was laying on his stomach sexy? Or his side? The classic propped up head and knee up?

Kon got up and scowled down at the blanket when he heard the door open and close on the first floor.

He turned around just in time to see Tim climbing over the edge of the loft. He paused and smiled at the scene, looking Kon up and down.

“Did you do all this for me?” He asked, and Kon looked around at the area before nodding. Tim strode over to him, and they enveloped each other in a warm hug.

“I got you a present.” Kon said, reaching behind him to grab the little box and hand it to him.

“Kon, what is this?” Tim asked, blinking down at it.

“Open it and find out.” He said, swaying back and forth to the music, hands on Tim’s waist. Tim arched an eyebrow, but tore open the paper anyways. He slowly opened the velvet box looked up.

“What is this?” He asked.

“It’s uh, it’s the guitar pick I used when I sang to you the first time. Look on the back.” Kon said, and Tim lifted it out of the box and flipped it over.

“God, your mama, and me?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow again.

“It’s, uh, It’s the song I sang to you at the bar. I used one of the tools out here to engrave it and then I strung it. Here.” Kon said, draping the black string over Tim’s head and settling it around his neck. “Because, like the song says, no one’s ever gonna love you more.”

“Oh, Kon,” Tim breathed, feeling the pick around his neck. “You’re so sweet.”

“I try.” Kon blushed, shrugging.

“I’m going to be honest, I thought you were giving me an engagement ring,” Tim laughed, turning the box over in his hand. “But this is perfect. I love it, Kon.” Tim said, fiddling with the necklace. “And I love you.”

“I love you too, Tim.” Kon said, ducking his head to give him a soft kiss. “I got you something else too.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Kon reached into his jacket and pulled out his flask again. “Wine.”

“Ooo,” Tim said, accepting the flask and taking a swig. “Romantic.”

“I try.” Kon shrugged, taking a swig himself.

“Okay, my turn.” Tim said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out an envelope. “Merry Christmas, Kon.”

“Nice wrapping.” Kon chuckled, opening the envelope. He looked inside and saw in the bottom corner was a silver key and a little label with ‘Conner’ on it.

“It’s the key to the apartment.” Tim mumbled. “And I didn’t know how else to tell you I cleared out one of my dresser drawers for you. So you can label it yours.”

“Tim,” Kon mumbled, taking the key and the label out of the envelope. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“Say let’s have more of that wine and dance for a bit.” Tim said, sticking his hands in Kon’s back pockets, swaying back and forth.

“I like that idea.” Kon said, taking a few sips of wine, letting it warm him. He listened to the music as they swayed, the slow song working its way down to his bones. “Come a little closer baby, I feel like layin’ you down.” He sang, and Tim giggled as he drank. “On a bed of sweet surrender, where we can work it all out.”

“I love your voice.” Tim whispered, winding his arms around Kon’s neck as they danced. “It’s so sexy when you sing like that to me.”

“Yeah?” Kon asked, raising a brow. “How’s that working for you?”

“I’d say it’s working pretty well.” Tim nodded, his face flushing. Kon leaned in and gave him a feather light kiss on the cheek, continued them on his jaw line, his ear, his neck. “Oh, Kon,” Tim whispered.

“Come a little closer baby, I feel like strippin’ it down,” Kon sang softly in his ear, taking a small break to kiss down his neck. “Back to the basics of you and me, and what makes the world go ‘round.”

“Babe,” Tim moaned softly, grasping at Kon’s chin to lift his head, look him in the eyes.

“Every inch of you against my skin, I wanna be stronger than we’ve ever been,” Kon sang quietly, moving his hands into Tim’s back pockets. “So come a little closer baby, I feel like strippin’ it down.”

“Conner,” Tim breathed, leaning in for a kiss that tasted like wine.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just totally wanted to write 1) Drunk Tim 2) bonfire 3) really sickeningly sweet sex. The song that starts Kon's playlist is strip it down by Luke Bryan. Do with that what you will.

Kon pulled the truck into Kara’s back 40. It was where everyone entered the property, instead of driving around the house, there was a path through the woods that fit a truck.

“This feels like the start of a horror movie.” Tim said, scowling at the trees around them.

“Babe, it’s just the woods.” Kon scoffed. “They’re not scary, they’re fun.”

“To you, maybe.” Tim rolled his eyes. “We’re going to get a flat, get out to look at it, and someone’s going to murder us because we fell into their trap.”

“Shockingly, not a lot of murder goes on around here.” Kon said, turning around the last bend that would lead them to the back yard. “The most criminal thing that happens around here is smoking and drinking.”

“You drink in the woods?” Tim asked, finally turning to look at the man behind the wheel. “Why?”

“No one can see you.” Kon shrugged. “And besides, it’s legal for me now. Back in high school, this is where we hid if cops got called on a party.”

“How often did that happen?”

“Not often, but noise and whatnot.” Kon shrugged again, finally pulling out into the yard. He could see the big fire, and he turned around to back up to it.

“Why are you parking here?” Tim asked, looking in the side mirror at the big blaze behind them. “That’s a really big fire. That can’t be safe.”

“It’s not.” Kon shrugged, hopping out of the truck and walking around to put down the tailgate. He had thrown a few blankets in the bed.

“You still didn’t answer my first question.” Tim said as he walked around, zipping up his hoodie.

“So someone can sit on the tailgate.” Kon said, hopping up to do just that.

“This is weird.” Tim said, following suit and staring at the fire. “That’s taller than a person.”

“You act like you’ve never seen a bonfire before.” Kon chuckled, waved at Kara as she caught his eye.

“No, bonfires in cities are not this big. And they’re in a fire place. This is just in the ground.” Tim said, pointing to the stone wall surrounding the pit.

“It’s called a fire pit, Tim.” Kon said with a small laugh. “Out here we have a bit more space to burn.”

“And you guys drink around these things?”

“That’s kind of the whole point.” Kon said, tossing an arm around his shoulders.

“Hey, guys.” Kara said as she came strolling up, holding the hand of a young man with dark hair and a flannel.

“Hey.” Kon said, offering her a smile.

“Zach made moonshine,” She said, holding up her cup. “It’s in the garage if ya’ll want some.”

“Moonshine?” Tim asked raising an eyebrow. “Isn’t that illegal?”

“Kon, where did you find this one?” Kara asked with a laugh.

“Sorry, he’s a city boy.” Kon shrugged, Tim scowled.

“C’mon. You have to try it.” Kara said, leaning forward to grab Tim’s hand and pull him from the tailgate, leaving Kon and Kara’s boyfriend alone. Kon recognized him from the football team, Carl. They never talked too much, but from what he remembered, it was because Carl was a pretty quiet person.

“How long you back in town?” He asked, taking a sip from his own cup.

“We fly back out tomorrow.” Kon shrugged. “I told my brother he could come stay with me for new year’s, so I have to get back.”

Carl nodded, stayed quiet for a moment. A few other guys came strolling over, one taking Tim’s spot on the tailgate. He recognized him as Jaime Reyes, one of the varsity baseball players. The others he knew were Miguel and Jackson, other jocks he only talked to in class.

“Never thought we’d see you back here, Man.” Jaime said, taking a sip of his own drink. “You got out, that’s the dream.”

“I’m just back for the holiday.” He shrugged. “Flying back tomorrow.”

“So what happened to that hot chick, dude?” Miguel asked, glancing up from his drink. That explained why they swarmed him. He used to take a lot of pride in how envious his classmates were that he was just friends with a beautiful model/actress. He knew it must have skyrocketed when they started dating.

“She and I broke up.” Kon shrugged again. “On good terms. Just didn’t work out.”

“Man, she was hot.” Jackson said, looking behind himself at the fire. “So what’s this we hear about you being into dudes now?”

“Uh,” Kon chuckled to himself, feeling his face heat up. “Yes and no. Just one guy.”

“So that’s true?” Miguel asked, looking up again. Kon had heard rumors that Miguel was gay, but he didn’t keep up on gossip about his classmates. Just saw their baby pictures on facebook from time to time.

“Kinda,” Kon said, resting his hands between his knees. “Cassie and I broke up, and then I made friends with this guy and I don’t know, I just really liked him I guess.”

“So that chick’s available?” Jackson asked, and Jaime shot him a look.

“She wouldn’t go for you, hombre.” He laughed. Kon chuckled too, smiling at the memory of Cassie.

“Hey, dude, where’s Kara?” Miguel asked, and everyone turned to look at Carl, who had been mostly silent.

“Garage,” He said with a small shrug. “I’m going to go find her.” He said, turning and leaving.

“So, hermano, there’s plenty of talk going around town about that guy.” Jaime said, and Kon felt his stomach flutter. He didn’t even think about it, that with Tim being somewhat of a celebrity, people would probably know a lot about him already

“Yeah, dude, was he really a hooker?” Jackson asked, and Miguel elbowed him.

“Uh, yeah,” Kon nodded, wishing he had a beer “Not anymore though. He quit months ago.”

“Do you really know Redhood and the Outlaws?” Miguel asked, and Kon laughed to himself.

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool.” He said with a nod. “Jason’s been pretty great to hang around.”

“Man, is that drummer that hot in person?” Jaime asked.

“She’s very attractive, yes.” Kon nodded again, laughing. “She’s also very nice. And their manager has been pretty great too.”

“Oh yeah, isn’t she that old singer chick?”

“Dinah Lance, yeah.” Kon nodded.

“Damn, she’s hot too.” Jackson said, taking a sip of his drink. “You’re a lucky motherfucker.”

“Well, I guess you could say that.” Kon shrugged. At least they weren’t outright hating on him, so that was progress. He opened his mouth to say something else when he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Tim partially running towards him, stumbling a little. He got up from the tailgate just in time to catch Tim before he fell to the dirt.

“Kon!” He said, standing up as straight as he could. “Kara gave me moonshine.” He said, giving Kon a big smile. There was a flush on his cheeks that Kon could tell wasn’t from the winter cold or the heat from the fire.

“I see that.” He said with a laugh. “Uh, guys, this is Tim. My boyfriend. Tim, this is Jaime, Miguel, and Jackson.”

“I’m not going to remember any of that tomorrow.” Tim shook his head.

“How much did you have?” Kon asked, helping Tim sit down on his other side.

“It tasted like apple pie.” Tim said, giggling.

“Okay, we’re going to find you some water.” Kon said, getting up and hauling Tim onto his back in piggyback style. “Catch you guys later.” He gave his classmates a wave as he headed towards the garage, Tim’s face buried in his neck.

“Will you sing to me?” Tim asked, though it was muffled because he wouldn’t lift his face.

“Water first, singing later.” Kon said as he approached the garage. It was well-lit, and a few people were huddled around a table covered in various kinds of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. He set Tim down and reached for a water bottle, handing it to his boyfriend. “We have a flight in the morning and I don’t think you want to do that hung-over.”

Tim took a sip of the water, glancing around the garage. His eyes landed on the snack table.

“We should go get food.” He said, eyes lighting up.

“Everything’s closed by now, babe.” Kon chuckled. “No such thing as 24 hours here. But I can make you something when we get back to the house.”

“You’re so sweet,” Tim mumbled, leaning into Kon’s chest. “Let’s make out.”

“I don’t think that’s the most productive idea.” Kon laughed, wrapping an arm around Tim’s back. “Let’s go back by the fire. Keep drinking that water.” He said, leading Tim back out into the night.

The walk back to the fire was a little slow as Tim tried to gain footing on the uneven ground, but they eventually got back to someone’s tailgate and sat down. The tailgate on Kon’s truck was full of a bunch of jocks, talking and laughing about something.

“Is this all that happens?” Tim asked, gesturing wildly to the fire and the trucks parked around, one with the windows down playing the radio as loud as it could.

“This is it.” Kon shrugged. “We all sit around, we drink, we play music. Sometimes there’s a guitar, but for the most part, yeah. It’s not an LA party by any means.”

“Hm.” Tim hummed, taking another sip of his water. Kon figured he would say something else, but their attention was caught by some of the girls by the fire who were drinking beer and dancing, shouting. Kara was among them, and she gave them a small wave before seeming to remember something and running off towards the house.

“I don’t want to go home.” Tim said suddenly, regaining Kon’s attention.

“Well, we can’t stay at the party forever babe,” Kon laughed, watching Tim sway a bit, off time, with the music.

“No. I mean I don’t want to go back to LA.” Tim shook his head. “I like it here.”

“Tim, you’d get so bored here so fast,” Kon chuckled, but inside his heart soared. Did Tim really want to stay there? “It’s not all that great. You love the city.”

“Yeah, but you love it here,” Tim said, motioning to the circle of trucks, scrambling to not accidentally toss his water into the fire. “And I love you.”

“Tim,” Kon mumbled, reaching out to lower his arm. He was going to say something else when he felt something being pressed into his free hand.

“I totally forgot I have my brother’s old guitar! You should play us something.” Kara said, handing over the guitar to Kon and running to the open window of the truck beside them, leaning in to turn the music down. “Conner’s going to play some music!”

“Oh,” Kon said, blinking down at the instrument. He guessed he was playing a song. “Uh, okay.”

“I like when you sing.” Tim said, turning slightly, and Kon smiled at him.

“I know you do,” He said, tuning the instrument to his satisfaction. “What should I sing?”

Tim didn’t offer any suggestions, just a flushed face and big, blue eyes and his beautiful smile, a small giggle. Kon smiled back and started strumming something.

“Now and then,” He sang, watching smiles grow on his former classmates. “I think about you now and then, when I see that Chevrolet that certain shade of blue.”

He kept singing, catching movement out of the corner of his eye. Kara and Carl were dancing together, pressed closely together. A few people were whistling at them, throwing chips or popcorn, telling them to get a room. Kon tried his best not to laugh.

“I hope you find the storm that you were chasin’, hope your eyes are still as full of dreams,” He looked over briefly at Tim, saw him recording him with his phone. He smiled. “As they were that night when you slipped off those cut-off jeans. When I hear the sound of high-tide thunder, I can see your hair blowin’ in the breeze, I think about how you and that 21 summer made a man of me, yeah you made a man of me.”

Kon sang to the camera, trying to ignore the shouts of ‘get a room’ now directed at them. He leaned in for a short kiss before going back to singing.

* * *

 

Try as Kon might, Tim was still a bit hung over when they boarded the plane the following morning.

He hadn’t slept much. They had stayed out late, dancing, singing, generally having a good time. Until the ride home when he had to pull over so Tim could throw up.

Kon spent a good portion of the night sitting on the bathroom floor with Tim, offering him water and comfort.

“I’m sleeping this entire flight.” Tim said, flopping into his seat, sunglasses on his face.

“How’s your head?” Kon asked, buckling his seatbelt.

“It’s been better,” Tim groaned. “Will you answer whoever this is? The buzzing is pissing me off.” He passed his phone over to Kon, who opened it and saw that the buzzing wasn’t a text or a call.

“Tim, your instagram is blowing up.” He said, glancing over the notifications.

“Why?” Tim asked, leaning over to look.

Kon opened the app and saw the most recent thing Tim had posted was a video of Kon singing at the party, and it was being shared, reblogged, and commented on like he couldn’t believe.

“It’s me.” He mumbled, glancing up at Tim. “You posted a video of me?”

“I guess I did.” Tim shook his head. “I don’t remember too much about it.”

Kon let the video play on mute, seeing himself singing out to the crowd, then turning to look at the camera, and finally finishing with the image of the two of them kissing.

“You’re going viral, babe.” Tim said, pointing to the numbers.

“I’ve never gone viral.” Kon mumbled, closing the phone and handing it back.

“You’ve never had my following.” Tim shrugged, buckling his own belt. “It’s a good thing, people will know you now.”

Kon nodded, looking up at the flight attendant who was giving the safety directions. He supposed it was a good thing. Maybe he could meet with Dinah on what to do next.

* * *

 

The ride home was pretty quiet, no one had picked them up from the airport, they would all be flying in later in the day.

That meant one thing: privacy. Finally.

“I’m going to go unpack,” Tim said, giving Kon’s arm a squeeze before heading off to his bedroom. Kon detoured around to the kitchen. He was pretty hungry after the long flight, and he hadn’t wanted to eat around Tim, who had complained of nausea for most of the flight.

He made himself a quick sandwich, drank some water. It was needed.

Tim was humming to himself in the bedroom, and Kon smiled. He strode slowly over to the open door, resting his forearms on either side of the door frame.

He paused in the doorway, saw where Tim was unpacking his bag, tossing clothes in the general direction of his hamper. He was stripped down now, no longer wearing the warm sweat pants, but just his black briefs, showing just enough of his ass that kon's gaze lingered there for a moment. His t-shirt was still on, a dusty red that flowed on his back with every movement.

Tim glanced back at him, gave him a small smile. He stopped what he was doing, moved the suitcase quietly to the floor before turning and sitting on the edge of the bed, eyes softening.

Kon pushed off of the door frame, gently shutting and locking the door behind himself. He took out his phone and started up a playlist he had been putting together, hearing a few piano keys play before he tossed the phone onto the nightstand and crawled up into the bed, Tim falling back gently.

Kon kicked his boots off, letting them thump to the floor. Tim’s knee skimmed his hip as it rose, his calf wrapping around Kon’s thigh, burning him through his jeans.

This was what he missed, being able to lay down in a bed and do this slow and right.

He felt Tim’s fingers on his hips, ghosting over his skin, setting it aflame. They wound around to his belt buckle, turning it lose from his jeans, letting it clang to the floor. He didn't want to detach their mouths to shed their shirts, just wanted to feel every inch of Tim, his warm skin against the cool sheets. Tim pulled back, his hands gently pushing Kon's shirt off, his pupils blown, mouth slightly ajar.

"I missed you," he breathed, leaning up to give Kon a small kiss on his neck. "Corny sex music and all."

Kon hummed his pleasure, listening to the music. It was a bit corny, but he was a romantic at heart. It usually got him going pretty well, had to turn the radio station sometimes if his mind was wandering while he drove.

He reached down to help Tim out of his shirt, leaving both of their tops bare, save for Tim’s necklace. Kon kissed right underneath it on Tim’s chest, breath rolling in hot waves over Tim’s skin. The shorter man sighed, running a hand through Kon’s hair.

“You’re turning me on,” Tim mumbled, hands skimming down Kon’s bare back.

“That’s kind of the idea.” Kon chuckled, peppering a few more kisses on Tim’s chest.

“Yeah?” Tim asked, and Kon pushed himself up a bit, locking eyes. His heart fluttered in his chest a bit at those eyes. “You gonna fuck me?”

“No,” Kon shook his head, leaning up to give Tim a feather-light kiss. “I want to make love to you.” He whispered, and he felt Tim exhale.

“Oh,” He mumbled, lids fluttering. Kon took the pause to move them up the bed, leaning Tim against the pillows. He sat back to take off his jeans, pushing them off of his body and letting them fall to the floor before crawling back over Tim, cradling the back of his head, opening his mouth into another kiss.

They didn’t need to say much else, at least not for what they were doing. Tim was pretty quiet except for his little gasps and hums, and Kon was stoic for the most part, happy to observe the man under him.

Underwear followed not long after, and Kon sat back, staring down at Tim, splayed beautifully on the bed. He leaned down to kiss him, starting at his lips and working his way down, his jaw, his neck, his shoulder, all the way down his arms until he was kissing Tim’s fingers and watching Tim’s chest rise and fall in anticipation.

The heat in Kon’s stomach started to pool, and he got an idea. If this was how he was going to make love, he had to do it right.

“What’s wrong?” Tim asked, sitting up a bit. Kon smiled and held up a finger. He grabbed the jarred candle off of Tim’s vanity and moved it to one of the nightstands. He fished out the lighter in the drawer and lit the wick, then did the same with the candle on the other nightstand. He detoured around to flick off the lights, climbing back onto the bed.

“Really trying to romance me, huh?” Tim asked, winding his arms around Kon’s neck.

“Just want to do this right,” He mumbled, leaning down for another kiss. “This isn’t romance, it’s just love.”

“Kon,” Tim whispered, moving in for another kiss, wrapping his legs around Kon’s waist. Kon wouldn’t voice it, but this was his favorite thing to do. He liked things low and slow, he could get lost in the atmosphere for hours. The slow songs going on his phone, the low light, the most beautiful man he’d ever seen laying under him. He wished he could take a picture and have it on him at all times. That he could see this image every day.

He reached over to the nightstand again, took some lube and rubbed it over himself. Tim’s breathing went a bit shallower as he watched on, eyes lidded, lips reddened and little marks blooming on his chest.

Kon moved back to his place, waited for Tim to grasp onto him before pushing inside, his breath shuddering out of him.

For as much as Tim liked things rough, liked to be on top, liked to be talked dirty too, he was responding to Kon wonderfully, even better. He slowly met Kon’s lazy thrusts, panting out his breaths against Kon’s shoulder. They met for a sloppy kiss, Kon’s abs starting to ache a bit, but he ignored it, wanted to savor this moment.

He kept his eyes closed, running his languid tongue across Tim’s, trying to make everything about this go on for a while. His hand reached out to hold onto the headboard, getting better leverage to thrust deeper. Tim reached down to pull the blankets up over them, keeping the cold air at bay.

Kon thrusted a bit faster, feeling heat pooling in his stomach. Tim panted beneath him, and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. It had been a long week, and having time alone was what he really, really needed.

* * *

 

Tim was asleep. Kon figured he needed it since he was still a bit hungover, and no amount of sex could change that. But he wanted the water bottle he had left on the kitchen counter. He hopped out of bed, wiggling into his jeans, forgoing his underwear.

When he opened the door, he saw Jason sitting on the couch, a pair of headphones over his ears.

“Hey,” Kon mumbled, crossing his arms over his bare chest. “When did you guys get back?”

“Like a half an hour ago,” Jason said, taking the headphones off and resting them around his neck. “Dick and Damian went to bed. Jet lag.”

“Yeah, Tim’s asleep too.”

“Well with how long the sex playlist was I’d think he was pretty spent.” Jason said as Kon made his way to the kitchen. He cringed.

“You, uh, you heard the music?”

“Kind of hard not to.” Jason said. “Lucky the other two are heavy sleepers.”

“Sorry,” Kon mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, sitting down on one of the chairs. “We just-“

“Don’t want to know.” Jason shook his head. “Just keep the music down a little bit next time.”

“Right, sorry.” Kon nodded, taking a sip of his water.

“Now that you two are done boning, I’m actually pretty drained, I’m going to get some sleep.” Jason said, hopping up and starting towards the stairs. Kon gawked at him for a moment, but he thought it was a good idea just to forget it and go back to bed.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is longer of a chapter, but I didn't want to leave a cliffhanger in this chapter. Enjoy!

Kon wasn’t sure what was happening when he woke up, but Tim wasn’t beside him. He got up and put his jeans back on, heading out to the living room.

Tim was sitting in a chair, blanket wrapped around himself. Dick and Jason were sitting on the couch, and everyone was uncomfortably quiet.

“What’s going on?” He asked, striding to the chair to sit on the arm of it. Tim looked up at him and blinked.

“Bruce, uh, Bruce is getting married,” Tim mumbled.

“Oh,” Kon said, looking up at Jason and Dick. Jason had his arms crossed, and Dick was twiddling his thumbs.

“Look, guys, he’s been with Selina for a long time now,” Dick tried, but Jason snapped at him.

“No, he’s been on and off with her for a long time.” He said. “Just like he’s on and off with every girl he’s ever brought around. And he chooses to just not say anything about it until the day we leave.”

“Okay, but Jason, he’s an adult, he doesn’t have to ask our permission to marry her.” Dick said, sitting up straighter. “I mean, we don’t even live with him anymore.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter. It’d be nice to get some heads up that they were even serious.” Jason scoffed. “I mean, now every time we go home, it’s going to be to Selina.”

“You like Selina-“

“Of course I like Selina,” Jason said, sitting up straight and turning to Dick. “But that doesn’t change anything. You’d think Bruce would have the decency to talk to us, I mean, Damian hasn’t come out of his room since we got home.”

“We should be supportive of him, Jason.” Dick argued, and Jason opened his mouth to argue back, but he paused when he looked at Tim’s face.

“Tim-“

Kon didn’t get the chance to even see what his face looked like because before he could, Tim was up and running to his room, slamming the door.

“Breaking the news to him could have gone better.” Dick sighed. Kon slid into the chair, crossing his arms over his bare chest, very aware that his shirt was not available now.

“Is he okay?”

“It’s just kind of a shock to all of us,” Dick shook his head. “This wasn’t something that Bruce talked to us about before, about bringing someone new into our family.”

“He at least talked to us before he adopted Tim,” Jason mumbled. “Damian was kind of a surprise though.”

“And we love Damian. And we love Selina.” Dick pointed out.

“Yeah, but it’s different. Damian was a baby when we got him.” Jason said, motioning to Damian’s bedroom. “Suddenly we’re getting a mom, we never had a mom.”

“We’ve all had a mom-“

“But they were our individual moms,” Jason said, standing up. “You had your mom, I had my mom, Tim had his, Damian had Talia.”

“So? We all had dads too.” Dick said, standing up.

“No, you had a dad. Tim had a dad. Damian and I? Bruce is all we got.” Jason argued.

“Guys!” Kon shouted over them, both of them turning to look at him. “Is he okay?”

Dick sighed.

“This is just another strain between he and Bruce right now.” He explained, glancing towards the two bedrooms with their door fully shut.

“It wasn’t easy for Damian, either.” Jason added. “He had always hoped that one day Bruce would work things out with his mother and they would be together. So it hurt him quite a bit.”

“What can I do?” Kon asked, glancing over at Tim’s room.  Dick and Jason just looked at each other and shrugged. Kon sighed and got up to follow Tim.

The room was still dark, and Tim was back under the covers, face in his pillow.

“Babe?” Kon asked, shutting the door behind him. He sat down on the bed beside him. “You alright?”

“No,” Tim mumbled into his pillow.

“I know this is a big shock-“

“No, you don’t know!” Tim said, pushing himself up into a sitting position. “You don’t know what it’s like. You’ve always had the same two parents, the same one brother, the same normal family!”

“Tim-“

“You don’t get what it’s like to have you family constantly changing like this.” Tim said, pulling his knees up to his chest.

“Hey, just because my family might look normal doesn’t mean it is,” Kon scowled, reaching out to put a hand on Tim’s knee, but he jerked away. “I don’t know why you’re so mad at me right now.”

“I just want to be alone right now.” Tim mumbled, crawling back under the covers.

“But Tim-“

“Just don’t.” He shook his head. “You won’t understand. You don’t get what it’s like with Bruce and me.”

“Oh, I don’t know about it, huh? You ever think that maybe I know very well how bad a relationship you could have with your father? I haven’t said more than a sentence to my own dad in months-“

“Oh yeah, you and your poor little hurt ego that your daddy is quiet. At least you still have your dad. All I have is Bruce and even he sucks at it.” Tim snapped, and Kon stood up. “Just get out.”

“Fine.” Kon growled, grabbing his shirt off of the floor and heading for the door, slamming it behind him.

“What’s wrong?” Dick asked, looking up at the sound.

“He wanted me to get out, I’m getting out.” He said, yanking his shirt on and heading for the front door, slamming that behind him as well.

* * *

 

Picking up Jon from the airport at least gave him a small distraction from not having talked to Tim in a day. He was getting kind of lonely, but he had spent the better part of the night writing a song. He spent the worse part of the night scowling at the television.

“Hey!” Jon waved as he entered baggage claim with a bag slung around himself. He jogged towards Kon, opening his arms for a hug, which Kon quickly returned.

“Hey, how was the flight?” Kon asked, leading Jon over to the carousel his bag would be at.

“Fine,” Jon shrugged. “Mom sent me with some stuff for you.”

“Cool,” Kon said, spotting the duffle and grabbing it. “How was Christmas?”

“Eh,” Jon shrugged. “Grandpa Sam and Grandma Ella came over, Aunt Lucy, Uncle Ron, Sammy.”

“How is Sammy? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“He’s annoying.” Jon rolled his eyes. “He thinks he’s all smart because he got straight A’s this year.”

“Well, you were annoying at 12 too.” Kon said, hailing a cab for the two of them. “I mean, you’re still annoying now, but,” He gave Jon a smirk, and the younger boy elbowed him.

“You’re an ass.” Jon laughed, climbing into the cab with Kon right behind him. “No car this time?”

“No,” Kon shook his head, sinking into the seat. “Tim and I kind of had a fight.”

“About what?” Jon asked, taking the duffle from Kon and digging through it.

“His dad’s getting married again and he was in a pretty bad mood about it and he got all mad at me and I got mad back.” Kon sighed, glancing over at his brother. “What are you looking for?”

“Ma sent this to us, she said she didn’t know where to send mail or packages for you.” Jon said, handing Kon a small box. “And Mom stuck some cookies or something in there.”

“Thanks.” Kon mumbled, holding the box in his lap. “If you still want to book you another room, we can but you can stay with me if you want-“

“If Tim isn’t coming over, I’ll stay with you.” Jon shrugged. “But as soon as you two make up, I’m getting my own room.”

* * *

 

Kon tossed the bags onto the bed, flopping down on it himself. He could hear Jon unpacking behind him, bags zipping open and drawers opening and closing.

“So when are you getting a real place?” Jon asked while Kon tore the tape off of his box.

“I don’t know.” Kon shrugged. “I mean, I don’t pay rent here, so I’m kinda reluctant to move out until I can afford rent.”

“Yeah, but you work full time, when do you even get to work on music?” Jon asked.

“I work on music all the time. I worked on it last night.” Kon explained, glancing into the box. Just like Jon said, a Tupperware container of cookies was inside of it, as well as a t-shirt of a band Kon liked, and that little blue velvet box. “Oh God,” he groaned.

“What?” Jon asked, sitting down on the bed beside him. Kon reached in and pulled out the little box to confirm his suspicions.

“It’s, uh, it’s Great Grandpa’s wedding ring.” He mumbled. “Ma seems to think that Tim and I should get married.”

“Are you?”

“No, I-I mean,” Kon took a deep breath, took his glasses off to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I don’t even know if he wants to see me anymore.”

“Conner, you guys like each other.” Jon said, moving the box off of his lap.

“And I still do like him.” Kon said, sitting back against the headboard. “I love him. I-I just don’t know how he feels. He told me to get out and that’s the last thing he said to me.”

“Please don’t start crying, I can’t deal with that.” Jon said, and Kon kicked him gently.

“’m not gonna cry.” Kon grumbled, though he wasn’t entirely sure that was the case. “Just, can you take this back home with you? I don’t want to have it with me anymore.”

“Yeah, okay.” Jon nodded, taking the box from his brother and sticking it in his duffle. Kon reached for his glasses again when there was a knock on the door.

“Can you get that?” Kon asked, cleaning the lenses before slipping them back onto his face. Jon nodded and hurried around the corner to open the door.

“Hey, Jonno. Conner here?”

_Dick._

“Dick?” Kon asked, leaning forward. The man in question strolled around the corner, moved to sit on the bed where Jon had previously been. “What’s going on?”

“I just wanted to come and tell you two that we still want you to come over for new year’s in a few days.” Dick said, patting Kon’s knee. “I know Tim can be kind of difficult.”

“Is he okay?”

“He will be.” Dick nodded. “He and I have been talking about a lot of stuff. He’s just being stubborn right now.”

“I don’t want to upset him going over there.” Kon mumbled, hugging his knees to his chest.

“You won’t. He misses you, I can tell.” Dick said with a small smile. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just as long as Tim is okay.” Kon said with a nod.

“Okay.” Dick nodded. “Well I should get back, I have to go to rehearsal, I just wanted to stop by.” He said, getting up. When he did, it knocked the duffle off of the bed, and Jon scrambled for it.

But the ring box fell out onto the floor.

“Sorry, sorry.” Dick said, reaching down to grab it. “Uh, this is, yours?” He asked, handing it to Jon.

“It’s mine.” Kon mumbled. “I just asked Jon to take it back home with him for now.”

Dick opened it and glanced at it before handing it over to Jon again. He looked back over at Kon.

“My grandma is kind of insistent.” Kon mumbled.

“Look,” Dick sighed. “Take it from someone who has been there, wait until you’re both ready for it. It hurts less that way.”

“I know. We’re not ready, I know that.” Kon nodded.

“Well, when you both are, it’s okay.” Dick nodded back, giving Kon a smile. “You’re a nice guy, and Tim has been happier with you than he ever has.”

“Thanks, Dick.” Kon said, giving him a wave as he left.

* * *

 

Kon had been pretty reluctant to go to the party, even though Dick had invited them still. It had really been Jon who made him go, said he was tired of listening to Kon _sigh_ all the damn time.

And it was probably for the better. His other friends would be there too. And Dick. Maybe he could talk to Dick about his feelings.

“Would you stop moping?” Jon asked as they approached the door. “You’re harshing my mellow.”

“Well, sorry to hurt your mellow,” Kon said, rolling his eyes. “But I’m not exactly looking forward to this.”

“You could have stayed back-“

“And let you go to a party by yourself?” Kon asked, crossing his arms. He may not have always been responsible, but hell would freeze over before his little brother got plastered or something on his watch. Mom would find out and kill him.

“God, you’re so Mom sometimes.” Jon groaned, knocking on the door before Kon could possibly change his mind.

“I am not.”

“Sure, Lois.” Jon scoffed. “Look, no offense, probably going to ignore you most of the night, deal? If you want to be all sad and mopey, do it tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” Kon glared at his younger brother as the door opened, revealing Dick.

“Hey guys, glad you could come.” He said, offering them a big smile. “Damian and his friends are in his room.” He told Jon, and Jon nodded at him before heading towards Damian’s bedroom.

“Hey,” Kon said, glancing around the room. He didn’t see Tim, or any of their friends for that matter.

“They’re all in Tim’s room.” Dick sighed, stepping out into the hall and shutting the door behind him. “Are you okay?”

Kon blinked, feeling a lump in his throat. He didn’t like crying to Jon, it felt wrong to look for comfort in his younger brother, and neither of them were raised to show much emotion. He only ever cried to women, usually, Ma, Mom, Cassie. It wasn’t very frequent he cried in front of anyone else.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Dick moved forward and pulled him into a hug when Kon started crying. “Conner, you’re okay. Don’t cry, everything is okay.”

“Sorry, I’m sorry.” Kon said, taking a step back and wiping his eyes on his flannel sleeve. “It’s just been really difficult.”

“I know. Come inside, I’ll get you something to drink.” Dick said, leading him into the apartment. Kon took a seat on the couch, trying to ignore all the people. It was more than a usual party, and he remembered someone saying something about flying in friends from Gotham.

He recognized Wally at the other end of the couch, drinking something and talking with a woman on his lap with dark hair falling over her shoulders. He could hear Roy and Kori laughing upstairs, and he saw a few other people he didn’t know leaning against the railing.

Dick flopped down next to him, handing him a beer, which Kon took because beer was what you drank when you were sad.

“You gonna be alright?” He asked, patting Kon’s thigh. Kon nodded, twisting off the cap and taking a sip. He had himself under control again. “Okay. We’re going to go upstairs. If you feel like joining us, you’re more than welcome.”

Kon nodded, watched as Dick led his friends up the stairs to the loft, leaving Kon on the first floor by himself.

He didn’t mind the solitude, actually. It was nice. He didn’t feel like socializing too much anyways.

But then he heard a door open and when he looked up, he knew he’d have to socialize anyways.

Cassie was striding out of Tim’s room, swinging around to the kitchen to refill her drink before flopping into the space Dick had vacated.

“Hey,” She said, and Kon smiled a bit at her. “He really misses you.”

“Well he hasn’t called me or-“

“Conner,” Cassie said, and Kon turned fully to look at her. “I know. But he’s really upset right now. You should go talk to him.”

“No,” Kon shook his head. “If he really needs me that bad, he’ll tell me. Besides, he’s not the only one upset by this whole thing.”

“I know,” She reached out and put an arm around Kon. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay.” Kon shook his head. “Everything was going so well. We were so happy over the holiday, it was amazing. And then we come back and he just gets so mad and he took it out on me and-“

“Hey, breathe,” Cassie said, running a hand through his hair. “Listen, I know you’re upset. And it’s not easy. But everything will work out, I promise.”

“How can you promise me that?” Kon asked, taking another sip of his beer.

“Just go in, okay?” She asked, getting up and holding out her hand. “Come on.”

Kon sighed, but still he took her hand and let himself be pulled towards Tim’s door. She pushed it open, and he could see Tim curled up in his bed, wearing sweatpants and one of Kon’s flannels. Bart was beside him, hugging his friend. Stephanie was at the vanity, drinking from her glass of wine.

And Tim was crying.

“Tim?” Kon asked, and Tim’s head snapped to the side to look at him.

“Guys, let’s give them some privacy, okay?” Cassie said, motioning for the other two in the room. Bart gave Tim one final squeeze before heading for the door. Stephanie strode over to the bed, gave Tim a kiss on the cheek, then followed after Bart. She closed the door, leaving the two of them officially alone.

“Hey.” Kon said, taking another sip of his beer. Tim sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “I guess we should talk, huh?” Tim didn’t say anything, just gave Kon a nod.

Kon moved to sit down on the bed, right in front of Tim. The shorter man pulled his knees to his chest, eyes still red-rimmed.

“I-I’m sorry,” He sobbed out. “I didn’t mean the things I said. I was just so mad, and I took it out on you and I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, hey,” Kon whispered, moving closer to wrap an arm around Tim’s shoulders. He smelled like beer, which probably was why he was so emotional. “I’m sorry too. You needed me and I wasn’t there for you.”

Kon reclined back on the pillows, pulling Tim with him. The shorter man curled up, wrapping his arms around Kon’s waist and resting his head on his chest. Kon started humming and rubbing his hand up and down Tim’s back to calm him down.

“Still learning how to pray, tryin hard not to stray, try to see things your way, still learning how to pray,” Kon sang, trying to keep his own emotions in check. He leaned down and gave Tim a kiss on top of his head. “Still learning how to trust, so hard to open up, but I’d do anything for us, still learning how to trust.”

“You always know the right song to make me feel better.” Tim sniffed against his chest. Kon helped them to sit up, rocking Tim gently in his arms.

“Still learning how to bend, how to let you in. In a world full of tears, we’ll conquer all our fears. Still learning how to fly, I wanna take you high. I’ll be there ‘till the end, I’ll be a lover and your friend, still learning how to bend.” Kon sang, and Tim smiled up at him.

“I love you.” Tim said, wiping a few more tears from his face.

“I love you too, baby.” Kon said, leaning down to give him a kiss.

“Can we come in?!” They heard through the door, and Tim choked out a small laugh that sounded on the border of a sob.

“Yes!” He called back, and the door swung open while their friends filed back in. They all piled onto the bed, enveloping the couple in a big hug.

“You two are so sickeningly sweet and we love you guys.” Steph said, and Tim laughed, resting his head on Kon’s shoulder. Kon smiled, his body warming at the feeling.

* * *

 

The group had left the bedroom finally, and Tim had explained to Kon who was who around the party.

Dick was in the kitchen at the moment with Barbara, getting the two of them drinks. Jason was talking with Roy and Lian in the dining area. The little girl was practically falling asleep, but she was determined to stay up until midnight.

Upstairs, Kori was talking with her older sister and younger brother. Apparently the sister wasn’t the nicest, but it didn’t seem to affect Kori much. Then there was Wally with his fiancé Linda, who were also up in the loft.

He had even caught glimpses of Damian’s friends. There was a redhead named Colin, who had a bright smile and lots of freckles. Tim explained him as Damian’s best friend, which was nice to see. Then there was a boy named Duke, who had also stopped to talk to Jason for a while throughout the night.

Even Jon had emerged, saw Tim and Kon cuddled on the couch, and gave Kon a smile.

Midnight was fast approaching, and everyone was starting to congregate in the living room. Tim and his friends took up the couch and chairs, but everyone stood around them.

“Move.” Jon said when he came up to the two of them, and Kon scoffed.

“No.” He said, and Jon shrugged before he sat on Kon’s lap. “Okay, no to this too.”

“Too bad.” Jon shrugged, striking up a conversation with Colin.

“Watch this,” Tim whispered, leaning up to give Kon a kiss. It deepened quickly, and Kon went with it, hearing a moan escape Tim’s throath.

“Gross!” Jon shouted, shooting up off of Kon’s lap while the two men pulled away from each other snickering.

“Ugh, who am I going to kiss at midnight?” Steph asked from Tim’s other side. “Usually it’s Tim.”

“Bet Jason’ll volunteer.” Cassie said with a smirk, eyeing the man in the kitchen with Dick. Steph smiled and hopped up out of her seat, heading to interrupt them. Kon was glad the two women had become friends, especially since Cassie hadn’t had a ton of girl friends. Bart was at her side in a flash, waggling his eyebrows at her. Cassie laughed.

“Sure, Bart.” She said with a laugh, and Bart cheered, turning away with his empty cup.

Tim settled back into Kon’s arms, leaning his head on his chest. Everyone was starting to pair off, he saw Dick with an arm around Barbara off to the side of the living room. Wally was beside him with Linda on his other side. Roy was holding a sleeping Lian in his arms, her legs around his waist and arms around his neck, rocking her gently back and forth. 6 was still a bit too young for her to make it to midnight. Kori was beside him, rubbing his arm gently.

Her brother and sister were talking in the dining room. The brother seemed to be having a lot more fun than his oldest sister, but still she was watching the television with a small smile.

Jon and Colin were whispering to each other in the kitchen, and at the edge of the kitchen and living room, Damian was scowling. At the bar, Duke was sitting on one side of Jason, the two talking while Jason had his arm casually thrown around Steph’s shoulders.

“Count down is starting!” Dick called, and everyone started counting down together.

On the stroke of midnight, Both Dick and Wally turned away from each other, but reached back to discretely fist bump each other while they kissed their significant others.

Jason not only kissed Steph, but dipped her, her blond locks falling down towards the floor, his arms the only thing keeping her from falling. Duke clapped beside him.

Colin and Jon snuck up behind Damian, each planting a kiss on either of his cheeks, causing Damian to blush madly and protest their actions.

Kori and Roy exchanged a small peck over Lian’s shoulder, quietly exchanging a ‘happy new year’ with each other.

Bart and Cassie gave each other a quick kiss, giggling the whole time.

And even after midnight passed, Kon had Tim’s tongue in his mouth and his hands on Tim’s slender hips.

* * *

 

Kon woke up to the sound of vomiting, though he could tell by the warm body in his arms that it wasn’t Tim. He cuddled around the nude body beside him, savoring the feeling of having another person in his bed. He didn’t realize how much he missed sleeping together.

But then he recognized the whimpering sounds coming from the bathroom and groaned as he got out of bed.

“Kon?” Tim asked, blinking his eyes open.

“Go back to sleep,” Kon said, leaning over to give Tim a small kiss as he pulled his jeans on and searched for his t-shirt.

It was hanging on the vanity mirror.

That went far.

He left Tim in the dark bedroom as he headed into the bathroom next door. He shut the door behind him, looking at his little brother on the floor in front of the toilet, tears streaming down his face as he hiccupped a sob.

It was too early for this.

He’d only been asleep for a few hours after he and Tim’s _make up_ session.

“Please don’t tell Mom,” Jon sobbed, wiping at his eyes.

“Hey, don’t cry.” Kon said, moving to sit on the edge of the bathtub beside Jon. “You’re just going to make yourself sicker.”

Jon nodded, leaning back against the tub and sniffling until he could calm himself down.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.” Kon said, ruffling his hair. “Everyone get their first hangover.”

“This sucks, why do people drink?” Jon asked, reaching out to flush the toilet.

“You got me,” Kon shrugged. “But usually they don’t drink enough to get hungover. And I won’t tell Mom, as long as you promise to learn from this.”

“Yeah, no more shots.” Jon scoffed.

“Who was giving you shots?” Kon asked, taken aback. From what he remembered, there weren’t any shots, just a table of various alcohols and a cooler of beer.

“Stephanie and Jason were taking shots after you and Tim went to bed.” Jon shrugged. Kon scowled. He’d be mad at them later.

“Do you think you’re good now?” Kon asked, and Jon nodded. “Okay, let’s get you some water and back to bed.”

“Okay.” Jon said, letting his older brother pull him to his feet. He cupped his hand under the faucet and took a few sips of water before following Kon out of the bathroom. The went to part ways, Kon back to Tim’s bed and Jon to Damian’s floor, but they paused to give each other a hug. “Thanks.” Jon mumbled.

 “Yeah, no problem. Get some sleep.” He whispered, turning back to Tim’s room.

“Is he okay?” Tim asked as Kon started stripping out of his clothes.

“He’s fine. Steph and Jason gave him and the other boys shots.” Kon said, crawling back into bed. “He needs to sleep it off.”

“Hey,” Tim said, turning to rest his head on Kon’s chest. Kon looked down at those pretty blue eyes. He was surprised Tim wasn’t hung over, but then again he stopped drinking after they made up. “Happy new year, Conner.”

“Happy new year, Tim.” Kon said, leaning down to kiss his forehead before closing his eyes again.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter is kind of filler so sorry.

Tim stayed asleep much longer than Kon, which was good because he figured he was pretty tired. Kon slipped into his clothes and went out to the living room, quietly. The pullout couch held Stephanie and Cassie, both of whom were still asleep. Bart had been sleeping sideways in one of the chairs, but he was up raiding the fridge with Wally.

“Hey,” He whispered with a wave.

“You guys are up early.” Kon said as he sat down on one of the barstools.

“We were hungry,” Bart shrugged.

“Yeah, and Jason’s still asleep.” Wally nodded. “He’s the cook.” He pulled a tray of leftovers out of the fridge, opening it and revealing cheesy potatoes. He opened a drawer and handed Bart a fork. The shorter of the two dug in.

“Oh, sorry, you want some?” He asked through a mouthful of food.

“No, I’m good.” Kon shook his head. Ma would have killed him if he ate food out of the fridge that way. He opened his mouth to ask how everyone slept when he heard a phone buzzing somewhere on the kitchen counter.

“That yours?” Kon asked, but both men shook their heads. He leaned over to see what the phone looked like. “Nope, that’s Jon’s.”

He reached over to grab it and answered it since it flashed ‘Mom’ on the screen.

“Hey, Mom.” He said, stepping away from the bar and heading for the hallway so as not to wake the girls.

_“Hi baby. Where’s your brother?”_

“Still asleep.” Kon shrugged as he shut the door behind himself. “At least I assume so, I haven’t seen him yet this morning.”

“ _Well then happy new year to you, Honey. How have you been?”_

“I wasn’t that great when we got back from Ma and Pa’s but I’m okay now.” He nodded, leaning against the wall. “Tim and I had kind of a fight and hadn’t talked for a few days, but we sorted it out.”

_“Well I’m glad everything is better, Conner. Did Jon give you the package I sent to you?”_

“Yeah, he did.” Kon nodded.

_“Honey, I’m sorry I opened your mail and saw what Ma sent you. But I did, Conner, and I hope you’re not considering what I think you are.”_

“No, no, mom, I’m not. Ma was kind of insistent that I have that in case I was. I asked Jon to take it back home with him for now.”

_“Okay. You know I support whatever you want to do, Conner, but I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.”_

“Huh?” Kon asked, his heart dropping. Mistakes?

_“Oh, Honey, I love your father, and he gave me two of the best little boys I could have ever asked for. But after we got married so young and had you, things were so hard. We didn’t have money, I had to drop out of school, your father was so busy. I just want you to enjoy your youth before you settle down.”_

“I know, Mom. Don’t worry, Tim and I aren’t there yet.” Kon said, watching as the door to the apartment opened, Jason and Roy stepping out, lighters and packs of cigarettes in hand.

_“Well you two come visit here some time. I expect your butt to be here for mother’s day at least.”_

“Okay, Mom.” He nodded. “I’ll be home for Mother’s Day, don’t worry.”

_“Good. Well I’m going to let you go, I have some work to do. You tell Jon I called and have him call me back. I love you both.”_

“I love you too, Mom.” Kon said, then hung up the phone. He glanced up at the two older men, raising eyebrows at him. “Jon left his phone in the kitchen.” He offered up.

“Come out and sit with us for a while,” Jason said, nodding his head towards the elevator. “Everyone else in there is dead to the world except the vacuums.”

Kon nodded, following the two bandmates down to the main floor of the building and out the front door. Jason sat himself on the banister while Roy took the steps of the stoop. Kon shuffled around until he was just leaning on the brick wall beside the door.

“Hey, we’ve got a show tomorrow night for some charity thing. Come play with us.” Jason said suddenly. Kon perked up. He hadn’t played on a stage in a while.

“Saw that video of you singing over the holiday break,” Roy added.

“Which was gross, by the way, but since you didn’t post it, I’ll let it slide.” Jason interrupted.

“You’re pretty popular. It’d be good to get you back out on stage again.” Roy continued, elbowing Jason in the calf. “And I don’t want to hear you talk about gross, I’ve watched you put your tongue in someone’s mouth more times than I can count.”

“Yeah, well you’ve puked on me more than once so we’re even.” Jason snarked, blowing out a puff of smoke. “But Roy’s right. We talked to Dinah after we saw that video, and she agreed to manage you herself from here on out.”

“Really?” Kon asked, eyes widening.

“You’ve got it, kid. And she can tell.” Jason said. “So make sure to call her soon.”

“I will, thanks,” Kon nodded.

* * *

 

Tim and Jon got along really well, actually, much to Kon’s delight.

He guessed it was because he was used to having a younger brother around, or maybe Tim was just that charismatic of a person.

Two groups of them had decided to go to the beach. Steph and Cass were sunning themselves on their towels while Bart and Kon were down in the water. It was a little cold, but cold in California had a different meaning.

Tim had gone up onto the dock where teens were running and jumping off. Guys trying to do backflips, girls holding hands as they lept, even some just sitting on the edge and scooting off.

Tim was leading the group of teens, Damian, Colin, and Jon. Kon caught sight of him as he pulled his shirt off and dove down into the water below.

“He’s a bit of a show off,” Bart said with a shrug. “If you hadn’t noticed already.”

Kon smiled as he saw Jon following next in his own little showy flip.

“Honestly, compared to Damian, Jon is a delight.” Bart said, and Kon laughed.

“You know for once, I’d have to agree.” Kon said, watching Colin look over the edge cautiously. Damian offered his hand as they got a running start and jumped over the end of the dock.

“So, hey, you guys coming back to Gotham any time soon?” Bart asked, floating on his back. “It’s be kick ass.”

“I wouldn’t mind a trip back, maybe stop and see my folks in Metropolis,” Kon shrugged. “But Tim, it’s really up to him if he wants to.”

“Oh yeah, how’s his whole Bruce thing?” Bart asked, standing up again. “I know he didn’t come home for Christmas.”

“No, he and I went to Kansas for Christmas. He just really isn’t on talking terms with him right now.” Kon said, turning and heading towards the shore. “I did promise my mom I’d come home for Mother’s Day in May, but that’s a ways away yet.”

“You know, he and Bruce haven’t been on good terms for a while,” Bart said as they flopped into the sand by the girls. “I mean, since we were in high school at least.”

“Really?” Kon asked.

“No, Bruce was always kind of a dick,” Bart shrugged, and Steph nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve been with Tim during some of their business calls and honestly, you wouldn’t know they were even kind of related,” She said, shaking her head.

“Hey, what are we talking about?”

Kon looked up as saw Tim striding over, still wet from the water, pushing his hair back out of his face.

“Your royal cuteness,” Kon said, giving Tim a big grin as he sat down and  tossed his shirt into the sand.

“Gross.”

“Ew.”

“Get a room.”

“You guys are just jealous,” Tim said, sending a smirk towards his friends as Kon wrapped his arms around Tim’s middle, wrestling him into his lap.

“No, we’re disgusted,” Stephanie said, getting to her feet. “I vote ice cream. Shall we?” She asked, holding out a hand for Cassie to take.

“I’m game,” Bart said, hopping up and following after the girls.

“Bart was asking when we would go visit him back in Gotham,” Kon said, giving Tim’s temple a kiss as they watched Jon and Colin tossing a ball back and forth, effectively making Damian the monkey in the middle.

“I don’t know,” Tim shrugged “It’s not like I have time constraints, so I could go visit.”

“But?”

“But you know why.” He mumbled, looking down at his hands “Can we please not talk about it right now?”

“Of course,” Kon nodded, giving Tim’s temple another kiss as Damian caught the ball and fell back into the water, popping up and holding it in the air.

* * *

 

“You have a safe flight home, okay?” Kon asked, giving Jon a hug. “You and Colin behave yourselves.”

“We will,” Jon nodded, looking back at where Colin and Damian were saying good bye. Damian looked positively deflated.

“You tell Mom I love her and tell Dad I said hi,” Kon said, giving his younger brother a pat on the shoulder. “And hey, if you’re coming out here for good, you tell me, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” Jon nodded, giving Kon a small smile.

“Okay, be good,” Kon said, pushing Jon towards security. “Love you, Jonno.”

“Love you too, Conner.” Jon said, giving him a wave as he caught up with Colin on the way to security. He stopped to give Damian a quick hug before moving along.

Everyone had flown in on the same flight, and they were all back out on the same flight too.

Dick and Jason were elsewhere, bidding Wally and Linda and Duke a fond farewell. Tim had already said his goodbyes to Bart and was waiting for Damian to come back.

Which he did, slowly walking over to Tim’s waiting arms.

“I’m sorry Colin couldn’t stay longer, Dames,” Tim said, and Damian buried his face in his shoulder. “I know how much you miss him.”

“Don’t be embarrassing,” Damian said, stepping back and watching everyone make their way through security. “I do not miss him, I simply am not accustomed to not seeing him on a regular basis yet.”

“I know,” Tim nodded. “We can fly him out for your first concert, okay?”

Damian nodded.

“Okay,” Tim said as Dick and Jason came over to them. “Dick and Jay are going to take you home, alright? Conner and I are going over to Dinah and Ollie’s.”

“You two be safe,” Dick said, leaning over to give Tim a small hug.

* * *

 

The cab pulled up to the house and Tim paid him the fare before they got out.

Lian came running out the front door, Dinah calling after her.

“Uncle Tim! Uncle Conner!” She shouted, and Kon scooped her up.

“Hi, peanut,” Tim said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “We came to talk to your grandma. Where’s Daddy?”

“Daddy is with Mommy working some things out,” Dinah said, taking the little girl back. “Honey, go find Grandpa for me, okay?”

“Okay!” She said, taking off as soon as she was set down.

“Roy wants Jade to come around more and see her daughter, but Jade doesn’t want to,” Dinah shrugged. “She’s always on the road and says she can’t come around as much as Roy wants her to.”

“Who needs a mom when the have you, Di?” Tim asked, and Dinah smiled.

“Well, you know that I love you boys like my own,” She said. “Okay, let’s go up to my studio.”

The two followed her up the stairs into the recording studio.

“Now, I just have some stuff for you to sign, you’ll be with me and my old record label, okay?” Dinah asked as she handed Kon a packet. “And then we can really start working on your album, full force.”

“Really?” Kon asked, eyes widening.

“Yes,” Dinah nodded. “And Tim, honey, I want to offer you something too.”

“Me?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.

“The last show got a lot of social media attention because of you,” She said, digging through her briefcase. “I want you to join the dancers full time.”

“Really?” Tim asked as she handed him a packet as well. “I just fill in when you guys are in a bind.”

“I know, but you dance better than the other girls most of the time. You might not be dancing all the time, but I want you to take over choreography,” she said. “I know how quickly you pick it up, and I think you could do amazing.”

“Oh, Dinah, I don’t know,” Tim shook his head, looking over the pages in his hand.

“Well I do,” She said, giving his shoulder a squeeze.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took so long, I kind of fell out of the main story. I got very into Jason, and wrote some very Jason-centric things. But also, if you need some TimKon, go check out my oneshot, 'I'm a Cliche In A Song' I'm really proud of it and Emo!Tim so it makes me happy. Also, Tim still has a teeny, tiny crush on Roy. So like.....I'd imagine he would have spent a lot of Tim with him and Lian at first.

Songwriting had never been the hard part for Conner. He was always scribbling down little lines and stanzas that popped into his head. There were plenty of nights when Tim was fast asleep and Kon was sitting up, his bedside lamp on the lowest setting, pencil scratching across his notebook page.

But the Queen’s kitchen was not very inspiring.

Tim was inspiring, so was the farm, but sitting in the kitchen while Dinah sang to herself at the stove where she was cooking dinner was not.

“Somebody’s gonna give you a lesson in leavin’, somebody’s gonna give you back what you’ve been given and I hope that I’m around, to watch ‘em knock ya down,” Dinah sang. Kon knew her music, and it wasn’t country, but she had a crystal clear voice full of soul. It sounded beautiful whatever it was singing. “It’s like you to love ‘em and leave ‘em, just like you loved me and left me, it’s like you to do that sorta thing, over and over again, you’re a bull hearted man.”

“Do you like country music, Dinah?” Kon asked, looking up from his notepad.

“I like all kinds of music,” She shrugged. “It’s part of being a musician. You can’t be closed minded and be in music because every genre has their characteristics.”

“So why’d you stop?” Kon asked. He had been just a little boy when she gave up singing, though he remembered how disappointed his mother was because she loved Dinah’s music.

“I tried to juggle it,” She said, carrying the pot of pasta to the sink. “After Ollie and I got married, I tried really hard to be a mom and a wife and a musician, but it was so hard. I did that for a year. But traveling, either with Roy in tow on his vacations from school or at home and going to work with Oliver, I just decided that being there for the two of them was more important to me. I’d had a career for ten years at that point, I’d never had a family.”

“That’s amazing of you,” Kon said, looking down at his notebook again. He picked up his pencil and wrote down _love over everything._

“Grandma!” Lian shouted as she came running in from the foyer. “Daddy’s back!”

Kon heard the front door open, footsteps trudging through the entryway and into the kitchen.

“Hey, pumpkin,” Roy said, scooping the little girl up. “Hi, Mom.” He leaned over and gave the woman a kiss on her cheek, and she beamed.

“Well,” She said, turning and giving Lian a kiss on the top of her head and putting a hand on Roy’s cheek. “I couldn’t have ever walked away from this.”

Kon nodded as Roy questioned his step mother, looking down and writing _how could I ever walk away from this_

* * *

 

“You still working, baby?” Tim asked as he came up from the basement. Kon was still at the kitchen table, the pair was staying at the Queens that night. He had eaten dinner with everyone while the dancers took a break from their practice in the basement.

“Yeah,” Kon nodded. It was dark out, only the light above the table illuminating his immediate area. “I had a little ear worm.”

“Can I see it?” Tim asked, sitting into the chair beside Kon. The taller man pushed his notepad over and Tim glanced over it. “I like it.”

“I think I’ve got a bit of a tune for the chorus too that I’d like to work on tomorrow,” Kon said. “You wanna hear it?”

“Okay,” Tim nodded. Kon reached over to the corner and grabbed the neck of his guitar, settling it into his lap.

“How could I ever walk away from this? This love, this life I always miss. Whenever I’m away from home, I start to feelin’ all alone. You’ve set my priorities straight, love over everythin’,” Kon sang, fumbling through notes on his guitar. He set it aside when he was done, looking up at Tim’s smile.

“You sing so beautifully, Kon,” Tim said, leaning in to give him a kiss. Kon started to pull away, but Tim didn’t let him go, locking his hands around the back of his neck and pushing his tongue into Kon’s mouth.

“Well hi,” Kon said when he was finally able to break for some air.

“Let’s go upstairs, huh?” Tim asked, giving Kon a small smile.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Kon smiled back.

* * *

 

Kon was humming to himself in the shower the next morning while Tim was getting ready for the day on the other side of the shower curtain.

Redhood and the Outlaws did a lot of shows for charity, and there was one that night. Dinah has asked Kon to open like he normally did, which was nice because he at least got exposure.

Money would start when the album was released, she promised him.

“Do you start tonight?” Kon asked from under the hot shower spray.

“No, the dancers aren’t performing tonight. They want to maximize the amount of proceeds going to charity, and the less people to pay, the more money for homeless shelters and food banks around here,” Tim explained.

“The same ones as last time?” Kon asked, turning off the water and reaching blindly for his towel. He knew he had it hanging by the shower, but when he finally found the hook, it was empty. He poked his head out and saw Tim holding the fluffy towel with a smirk on his face. “Brat.”

“Yeah, Jason’s all about supporting the homeless and poor. That’s how he grew up,” Tim shrugged, eyeing Kon as he stepped out of the shower, taking in his nude form. “Screw the homeless, let’s stay in bed.”

“We could always fool around in the dressing room again,” Kon suggested, taking the towel and drying himself off. “Or, after the show, like decent human beings.”

“I’m not decent,” Tim said, getting pulled into Kon’s arms. “My whole life is sex.”

“Well, as fun as that sounds,” Kon mumbled, leaning in for a little kiss. “I do have to put on a show.”

“Then go get dressed,” Tim said, pulling back and looking in the mirror. “It’s too hot for a hoodie, I have to cover up.”

“Okay,” Kon said, reaching out and grabbing Tim’s arm, giving his inner wrist a kiss before he could cover it with concealer.

“You’re the sweetest,” Tim said, pulling his hand back. “You know that?”

“I try,” Kon said, heading for the door.

* * *

 

The show went over well, much to Kon’s relief. It was hard to tell how the audience would react to the country singer opening for the punk rock band, but the audience was pretty receptive to him.

The after party, as usual, was a lot of fun.

When they got back from the show, Lian had been asleep on the sectional in the basement, the credits of a Disney movie on the television.

“Hey, pumpkin,” Roy said, gently brushing her hair back to wake her.

“’m not a pumpkin,” she mumbled as she stirred.

“It’s bed time, sweetheart,” He said with a chuckle. Tim sat down beside her on the couch, wrapping the slouchy cardigan around himself tighter.

“I wanna stay up,” She argued.

“Why don’t your daddy and I take you upstairs and we can read a book?” He asked, and Lian looked up at him before nodding. “Okay.”

Tim scooped the girl up, groaning as he stood.

“You’re getting so big,” He said as he stood, heading around the couch towards Roy. Conner followed behind the three up to the second story while Jason and Kori got the party set up.

Watching Tim carry the little girl, who looked similar enough to the two of them, really warmed his heart. He hadn’t been around kids in a long time, and he always had a bit of a fear that he would be a father like his own father, but seeing Tim care for others gave him hope that they could maybe one day have kids.

Lian was asleep again by the time they got upstairs, so Tim simply put her down in her bed, pulling the covers over her.

“Goodnight, Honey,” He said, leaning over to give her a kiss. As he and Conner left the room, Roy gave Tim’s hair a ruffle.

“She’s so cute,” Tim said as he shut the door, leaving Roy to sit with the girl.

“She loves you,” Kon said.

“Well, Roy’s an only child,” Tim shrugged as they started for the stairs. “We’re her uncles. Besides, I spent a lot of time babysitting her when I first moved here.”

“It’s sweet,” Kon said, taking Tim’s hand and kissing his forehead.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is filler, but it's fluffy filler. We're unfortunately getting closer to the end of this story, and it might feel fast but I'm trying to push it off as much as I can.

Valentine’s day.

He could do this.

Tim always told him he was romantic, so this should be easy.

“What did you used to buy Cassie for Valentine’s day?” Stephanie asked as she perused the clothing rack in front of her. She and Cassie were doing a girl’s day for the holiday, complete with gifts and a sappy movie.

“We usually weren’t together for it,” Kon shrugged. “I mean, we’d send each other things, flowers and stuff, but nothing that had to be super personal.”

“Well this doesn’t have to be super personal,” Steph reminded him, pulling out a crop top that said ‘Whatever, I’ll just date myself’. “It could just be something sweet.”

“But what does that mean for Tim?” Kon asked, leaning on the clothing rack.

“Conner, Tim thinks you’re sweet all the time,” Stephanie said, tucking the hanger under her arm. “I don’t know, play him a song, drink some wine, he likes when you do cheesy stuff like that.”

“What do you like as a gift?”

“I don’t,” she rolled her eyes. “The one I spent with Tim was nice, and he got me a nice necklace, but after that, I fell into a lot of bad stuff. I don’t want to date and do sappy stuff. I don’t want to look at another man for a long time.”

“I get it,” Kon nodded. “Cassie wears a medium.”

“Thanks,” Steph nodded. “Does she like red or white wine?”

“White,” He said, “Moscato.”

“Got it, thanks,”

* * *

 

“Conner, you’re worrying too much,” Cassie said as she folded an oversized sweater that had a candy heart that just said ‘meh’ on it.

“But what do I do? Tim has everything he could ever want,” Kon said, flopping sideways in the chair.

“You’re being dramatic,” Cassie said, rolling her eyes. “And that’s my job. You are the sweetest guy I’ve ever met, just do whatever comes naturally.”

“But I’ve never spent a Valentine’s day with anyone,” He said, “I don’t have a kitchen to cook dinner. Do I buy flowers? Candy? Jewelry? I suck at guy gifts.”

“Conner, what would you want for Valentine’s day?” Cassie asked, setting her gift down and leveling a look at him.

Kon paused to think. He really just wanted to spend time with Tim, just like he only ever wanted to spend time with Cassie. He didn’t care about gifts.

“Well?” She asked.

“I just want to spend time with Tim,” Kon mumbled, handing her a the roll of tape so she could finish wrapping her gift.

“Then that’s your answer,” She said, accepting the tape and grabbing her wrapping paper.

* * *

 

“What do you buy Tim?” Conner asked as he watched Jason cooking in the kitchen. Tim and Dick were out shopping, he assumed for a gift for Barbara.

“Nothing, he’s a clothes thief, he just takes whatever he wants,” Jason scoffed.

“Why must you get him a gift, anyways?” Damian asked from the bar stool he was sitting on.

“It’s how Valentine’s day works, Damian,” Jason rolled his eyes. “Couples buy stupid gifts for each other.”

“Perhaps he would enjoy candy,” Damian suggested.

“Nah, Tim’s not a big sweet tooth. He’d prefer coffee,” Jason shrugged.

“He does enjoy coffee,” Damian nodded.

“His favorite is Death Wish if that helps,” The oldest said, motioning to the coffee maker behind them. “I always make him brew it after ours because it’s so strong and nasty.”

“Death wish? Isn’t that morbid?” Kon asked.

“Tim is morbid. Don’t you know that by now?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

Kon scowled down at the counter. He had one day left to find a gift, what was he going to do?

“Listen, don’t worry so much about it,” Jason said, catching his attention again. “The little weirdo likes you, and it’s gross, but he likes whatever you do. He still talks about how romantic Christmas vacation was for him and it makes me want to barf.”

Kon was going to open his mouth to retort, but his phone started buzzing on the counter, and the names ‘Ma and Pa’ flashed on the screen. No cell phone for those two, only the house phone.

“Hello?” He asked, stepping away from the counter.

_“I taught you better than to not call me, young man,”_

Whoops. It had been a few weeks, hadn’t it?

“I’m sorry, Ma,” Kon shook his head, starting his pacing. Ma yelling at him always sparked his nerves and pacing helped. “I’ve just been pretty busy and-“

_“That’s no excuse. Your Pa and I were worried about you. You call here more often, young man, understood?”_

Young man. That was what he got when he was in trouble, at least from Ma and Pa. He missed the embarrassing ‘baby’ he usually got. At least it was better than his mom yelling ‘Conner Joseph’ loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry. I’ll call more often.” He said, taking off his glasses and hooking them in his shirt, using his free hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. He could hear Jason snickering.

_“What have you been up to? How’s Tim?”_

“Tim’s fine, he’s out and about with one of his brothers today,” Kon shrugged, feeling a headache building. Ma was going to ask him something he didn’t want to answer in front of Jason and Damian, he could just feel it. “I’ve just been working on my music with my new manager.”

_“Your mother was telling me about her, I’m glad you have someone to help you that understands,”_

“She does, Dinah is great,” Kon nodded, ignoring Jason’s ‘Di’s the best’ in the kitchen. “She manages Tim’s brother’s band too.”

_“Well you’re going to do well then.”_

“I hope so,” Kon said, taking his glasses back out of his shirt, cleaning them on the hem of his t-shirt to distract himself. “How are you and Pa doing?”

_“Oh, we’re doing okay. Pa’s knee has been acting up again, and you know my eyes aren’t getting any better, but we’re doing alright here.”_

“Well bad eyes run in the family,” Kon chuckled. It was something that Ma had passed down to all three of her boys.

_“That reminds me, you’re coming up on your yearly eye exam, make sure you get checked out, okay?”_

“Okay, Ma, I will.”

_“Well, I best be going. Pa wants to make me dinner tomorrow and I’ve got to run to the store.”_

“Pa’s making you dinner?” Kon raised an eyebrow. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen Pa cook anything more than heating leftovers in the oven.

_“That’s what he wants to do.”_

That sounded incredibly like a sigh.

_“But I promised him I’d make the pie he likes so at least we’ll have something I know is good. You be good, okay? I love you baby.”_

There it was, putting a small smile on Kon’s face.

“I will be. Love you too,” Kon hung up his phone, shoving it down in his pocket. “Sorry about that.”

“What reasoning do you have for referring to your grandmother as ‘Ma’?” Damian asked as Kon headed back towards the kitchen.

“Well that’s not just what I call her, it’s what everyone calls her. No one in town calls them Martha and John, they call them Ma and Pa Kent,” Kon shrugged.

“Damian, we’re not one to talk about weird family names,” Jason rolled his eyes. “You’ve been calling Bruce ‘Father’ since you met him.”

“It is the proper name for him,” Damian’s eyebrows furrowed.

“That’s not what you would have called him and you know it,” Jason said, pointing a spoon at him. “Talia wanted you to call him ‘Baba’, remember?”

“I do not,” Damian shook his head. “I was small.”

“You sure were,” Jason nodded, and Kon scowled, his problem being no closer to solved.

* * *

 

The room was decorated to the best of his abilities, since he couldn’t light any candles. There was wine, and roses, like had been suggested. But on the table was a nice mug that had a watercolor picture of a bird that reminded Kon of Tim’s tattoo and nestled inside was a heart-shaped chocolate lollipop and a bag of the coffee Jason suggested.

Tim wouldn’t arrive for another hour or so, but he got eager.

Back in Smallville, he used to just take a drive when he got anxious. Ma used to notice and send him on an errand for her, even if it was just taking the outgoing mail up to the post office because she claimed they were important and she didn’t want to risk them being lost.

But he didn’t have a car here.

Or Ma.

Or mail to drop off anywhere.

Kon sat down in one of the chairs, fiddling with his phone. He thought of maybe taking a drive up to Napa, seeing the vineyards. They weren’t flat fields of wheat and hay and corn blowing in the Kansas wind, but they were rolling hills of trees and at least it was something.

He could really just go for a ride, he missed Krypto most of all but he missed Comet a lot too. The girls gave him a hard time, but that horse never threw him. Taught him a lot about things, patience and trust.

Maybe he could take another trip home. California wasn’t what he anticipated, and as much as he loved it and never thought he’d miss Smallville, he did. It was such a drastic change, and he’d give anything to be driving down a dirt road or riding Comet through their corn fields or just heading into town and getting a few groceries that Ma needed for dinner from the elderly cashier at Fordman’s.

He didn’t know when he started drinking wine, because at that moment, he just wanted a beer.

* * *

 

Tim had to take the stairs, damn elevator was down.

He really ought to put Kon up somewhere better, somewhere nice, somewhere _not_ a hotel.

It would be nice to use the money he’d had built up, and it wouldn’t be an issue really to cover rent of a one bedroom.

Plus, then they could stop eating hotpockets or ordering in all the time.

He had finished up his chores, it was his week for laundry and whatnot, and ran a quick errand to get the gift that was in his hand. He just wanted a nice bouquet of flowers and he found a leather bracelet that he thought Kon would really love.

Four stories felt like a lot. He hadn’t climbed this many stairs since he lived at the manor.

He remembered the last Valentine ’s Day he had spent there, it was right before he moved out. He had been seeing a girl, but she had broken up with him before the holiday, so he spent it in his room, eating peanutbutter out of the jar with a spoon and watching the movie of the same name.

This sure blew that out of the water.

It also reminded him of Bruce, because he had stopped in that day, asking if Tim had any plans. Upon seeing his oldest-in-house crumpled up in bed with tissues for the military-mom-coming-home scene and a half-empty jar in his hand, the man sat down for a bit and watched the remainder of the movie with him in silence.

It wasn’t a great memory, but it was something.

He really…..

No, he couldn’t call him. He was being an adult, and he only talked to Bruce if he was contacted first about issues with his computer at work. Strictly a professional relationship.

Tim finally made it up to Kon’s room and pulled out the keycard, listening to the lock whir out of place before pushing the door open.

The room was decked out, roses everywhere, which was so sweet. There was a heart shape on the bed out of petals, and didn’t that just melt his heart.

He turned to where he was vaguely aware Kon was and saw him just behind the ice bucket housing a bottle of wine that was leaking condensation onto the table.

Fast asleep.

Tim smiled to himself, setting the gifts down on the dresser and quietly shutting the door. If Kon could be full of surprises, so could he.

He was never a romantic, really. Girls told him he was sweet and nice and considerate, but he was never described as romantic. He didn’t sweep them off their feet, he mostly would let them lead and obediently follow.

But for Conner he could do it.

Tim quietly stepped into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He was dressed simply in a white t-shirt and skinny jeans and a scarf. He slid the beanie off of his head and set it down on the counter, letting the scarf follow. The t-shirt and jeans came off too, and he tiptoed out to the closet to snag a flannel button-up.

He went back to the bathroom to slip into the shirt, which covered him enough. Kon was about the same size as Dick, but his broad shoulders meant he had to get a bigger size, so his button ups were long. Sometimes he tucked them in to hide that, or sometimes he left them unbuttoned with a t-shirt under it.

Either way, they fell to Tim’s upper thigh, covering the important things.

Tim slowly snuck his way out, trying not to step on the roses all over the floor. Kon had his head propped up in his hand, causing his glasses to sit askew on his face, and he was snoring lightly.

He leaned in and gently took Kon’s face in his hands, pressing a soft, languid kiss to his lips. He could hear Kon groan as he woke from his slumber, hands moving to push gently at Tim’s waist until he was pulling back from the kiss a few inches.

“Hey,” He whispered, sleep still heavy in his voice. His eyes weren’t entirely open yet, and his glasses were still sitting funny on the bridge of his nose.

“Hey yourself,” Tim whispered, a smile crossing his face. Kon blinked a few times, reaching up to adjust his glasses. He paused when he took in what Tim was wearing, and he smiled a bit, still tired. “Happy Valentine’s day, Kon.”

“Happy Valentine’s day to you too,” Kon mumbled, moving his hands to Tim’s hips and pulling. Tim happily obliged and straddled Kon’s lap, leaning in for another kiss as his hands wound around the back of his neck, teasing the short strands of hair at the nape. “I got you something.”

Tim pulled back a little, sitting gently on Kon’s lap, the man’s hands moving to caress his bare thighs.

“Yeah?” He asked, raising a brow.

“Yeah,” Kon nodded, reaching to the table to pull over a coffee mug with a bag of coffee in it and a lollipop.

Tim’s _favorite_ coffee.

“This reminded me of your tattoo,” Kon said, sliding a hand up under the shirt and feeling the skin where Tim knew his tattoo was. “And Jason said that was your favorite coffee.”

“It is, Kon, thank you,” Tim nodded. He was actually very excited about that, he hadn’t had any of that coffee in a few weeks. “I got you something too.”

Tim got up and grabbed his gifts off of the dresser, handing Kon the bouquet of daisies first. They weren’t roses, but Kon didn’t seem like the type to want roses for himself.

“They’re lovely,” Kon mumbled, smiling softly at the flowers.

“And that’s not all,” Tim shook his head and moved the flowers to the table before plunking himself back down into Kon’s lap, this time sideways so he could hand Kon the little box in his hand.

Kon took it and opened it, seeing the bracelet nestled inside. It was a light brown leather, flat on the front where the word ‘His’ with a heart beside it was burned into it, and on each side leading to the clap, the leather was braided.

“I love it, Tim,” Kon said, taking it out and putting it on. “Thank you.”

“I love you, Kon,” Tim said, leaning in for another kiss.

“Love you too, Tim,” Kon mumbled against his lips. “Up on the bed?”

Tim smiled and got off his lap, moving to do just that and sit in the middle of the bed. He pulled his knees up to hide himself a bit more while Kon uncorked the bottle of wine and poured two glasses, passing one to Tim.

Both of them took a few sips of the drink, letting it start the process of warming them inside and out. Tim didn’t feel the need to talk, just breathe and take sips of his drink. It was white wine, sweet, and he just wanted to taste it from Kon’s mouth.

“You sure know how to make a guy feel special,” Tim chuckled, taking another sip. Kon smiled down at him, setting his own mostly empty glass onto the nightstand.

“You are special, Tim,” He said, finally settling down on the bed, letting Tim finish his glass of wine before setting it off to the side. He fiddled with the phone on the nightstand for a moment before the soft sounds of a slow song that Tim knew filled the room. He felt himself swaying a bit to the music.

“Purple rain?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow. Kon leaned in and kissed him softly, and the sweetness on his lips paired well with the sweetness of his kiss.

“Is it working?” Kon asked, his voice dropping to that husky, sexy sound that made Tim just melt.

“Yeah,” Tim breathed, eyes fluttering closed as he lowered back against the pillows, letting Kon’s hands wander under the shirt as they kissed.

There was no need behind it, it almost felt like morning sex, but Tim didn’t care. The hands on him felt like fire, and the taste on his tongue was sweet and numbing and his head was swimming under the sensations.

Songs changed, flipping through ‘purple rain’ to ‘I can love you like that’ to ‘Andante, Andante’ and all of it felt just right while Kon’s lips trailed his skin.

His hands roamed too, pushing through Kon’s hair, over his tanned shoulders, over his toned chest. Every sense felt alive, and his body plaint and soft under the calloused hands of his boyfriend.

The beat all other Valentine’s days, hands down.

* * *

 

Tim was just getting dressed back in that big flannel when his phone started ringing.

He picked it up and saw it was a facetime request from Stephanie. He looked behind him to make sure Kon was covered, the blanket resting on his waistline as he slumbered, before he answered the call, his best friend’s face popping up on the screen.

“Hey,” He said, running a hand through his hair.

“Ooo, am I interrupting?” She asked, turning her phone so Cassie could be seen over her shoulder.

“No,” Tim chuckled, rolling his eyes. “You called at a good time.”

“Yeah, he looks pretty out back there,” Cassie said, and Tim glanced behind him as Kon shifted in his sleep, turning onto his side to face him instead of on his back. “Wore him out good, huh?”

“Guess so,” Tim shrugged, bringing his thumb up to his mouth to bite on his nail, a nervous habit he was never quite able to kick.

“Well we hate to interrupt this very promising looking date, but you guys wanna double for drinks later?” Steph asked, and Cassie leaned more heavily over her shoulder, her face pink.

“I want something stronger than wine,” She said, giving Steph a kiss on the cheek.

“You seem pretty toasted already,” Tim turned to look as Kon was pushing himself up, leaning over to wrap an arm around Tim’s chest. “Lightweight.” He smirked.

“You have a thing for lightweights,” Stephanie said, and Cassie giggled while Tim scowled at her. “You guys in?”

“Sure,” Kon shrugged.

“8?” Tim asked, and the girls nodded.

“But until then, leave us alone,” Kon said, leaning in to kiss Tim’s neck, pull the collar away to expose more skin. He reached out and put a hand over Tim’s phone camera as he pulled Tim back on the bed.

“Kon!” Tim squealed, fumbling to hang up the call.


End file.
